The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has defined bamboo and rattan as the major trees in non-timber exports that help reduce poverty and boost rural economic development in Vietnam in the 2011-2015 period.

At a seminar on the development of Vietnam’s bamboo and rattan sector on Nov. 22, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ho Xuan Hung said that the sector will need at least 100,000 tonnes of rattan and 1 billion bamboo trees by 2020 if it grows by 10-15 percent each year.

Meanwhile, Vietnam still has to import around 33,000 tonnes of rattan each year.

To ensure sustainable development, the ministry will plant an additional 165,000 ha of natural bamboo and rattan trees apart from the existing 1.6 million ha.

MARD said it would combine the development of bamboo and rattan trees with preserving biological diversity, developing biological science and technology and forestry preservation technology, and ensuring income from bamboo and rattan growing makes up 20-30 percent of the rural mountainous economy.

The ministry will also provide seedlings and investment capital to bamboo and rattan growers and apply measures to protect bamboo and rattan forests.

Bamboo and rattan are among Vietnam’s non-timber products with high-economic value. Their export value rose from 48 million USD in 1999 to 224.7 million USD in 2008 and is expected to reach 300 million USD this year. The products are exported to 120 markets worldwide.

Non-timber forestry is closely attached to almost 24 million mountainous ethnic people. The country now has more than 2,000 traditional craft villages, including 723 traditional bamboo and rattan weaving craft villages./.