Sichuan bamboo enterprise a first

Citibank (China) Co Ltd has joined hands with the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), the Sichuan Forestry Department, and Sichuan Lin He Yi Bamboo Industry Co Ltd to launch the "Sustainable Bamboo Enterprise Program" in Sichuan province.

The program is the first of its kind and is designed to help rebuild livelihoods by promoting bamboo-based employment opportunities for families affected by the May 2008 earthquake, while supporting the development of the local bamboo sector. The project will serve as a model for replication, not only in the most severely affected areas, but also in other areas where bamboo resources are available and there is a need to improve livelihoods.

According to Andrew Au, CEO of Citi China: "China remains one of Citi's top priority markets, and the 'Sustainable Bamboo Enterprise Program' in Sichuan is a reflection of the bank's strong commitment to making a positive and meaningful contribution to the greater community, as we build our own business here over the long term."

INBAR is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to improving the social, economic and environmental benefits of bamboo and rattan. It connects a network of partners from the government, private and not-for-profit sectors in over 50 countries to define and implement a global agenda for sustainable development through bamboo and rattan.

The program, made possible by a Citi Foundation grant to INBAR, will see the establishment of a Bamboo Training Centre in Dujiangyan county that will provide bamboo resource management training to at least 500 low-income adults from Beichuan, Anxian and three other earthquake-affected counties.

It will also create two Bamboo Processing Sites (BPS) that will transfer bamboo-processing technology to local farmers, provide direct employment to approximately 30 people and act as a prototype sustainable enterprise.

Lin He Yi, a Chengdu-based company that produces bamboo furniture and housing, will purchase semi-processed products made by the BPS at a competitive market price.

Coosje Hoogendoorn, director general of INBAR, said he regarded the "Sustainable Bamboo Enterprise Program" as "a groundbreaking new venture".

"Bamboo is a unique resource - it's a renewable source of wood, is easy to process and can be made into a vast range of products, each tapping into different market segments," he said, adding that resources are abundant in Sichuan, including the earthquake-affected areas, and offer considerable opportunities for establishing sustainable micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

"The project will demonstrate its long-term potential to help some of those most adversely affected by the earthquake, and will, we hope, provide a model for post natural-disaster rehabilitation and recovery the world over," the director general said.

Zhao Chen, director of the science and technology division of the Sichuan Forestry Department, indicated that small- and medium-sized bamboo enterprises will help promote local employment within villages, one of the key tasks in Sichuan province.

(China Daily 03/09/2009 page10)