Bamboo
in Agriculture
Bamboo Shoots
Most
all bamboo shoots can be eaten. They have been used for food for centuries
and are an important crop in many parts of the world. Bamboo shoots are
high in protein and have significant amounts of A, B1, B2, C and several
minerals. China is the largest grower and producer with approximately
one million tons of shoots per annum. Some are used for local consumption
but the majority are exported.
China
has over 375 species of bamboo with bamboo forest covering over 9.4 million
acres. The major species is Moso (P.edulis) which covers approximately
6. 2 million acres. In 1994 the country produced over 490 million culms.
Both the area covered and agriculture and forestry production make up
one third of the world's total. Taiwan
alone exports $50 million (US) worth of bamboo shoots each year.
India is the world's second largest
producer of bamboo and bamboo products. Along with Burma the three countries
contain over 80% of the worlds bamboo reserves. While India's production
amounts to only a small percentage of China's the country is agressively
pursuing development of it's bamboo industry.
Besides being used as food, thousands
of acres of bamboo are devoted to pole production. These plantations provide
the raw material for bamboo flooring, garden stakes, paper production,
and more. In this country bamboo was widely promoted as a cash crop on
family farms back in the 1950's. It provided poles to support crops, for
fishing poles, and multiple other uses.
One of the biggest potentials
for bamboo in agriculture is in the area of paper pulp and biomass. Studies
have been done in the past showing that bamboo has the potential to outstrip
any other plant for production of paper pulp. Because of the recent interest
in various crops for use in fuel production bamboo has been of great interest.
With fuel prices rising the future of bamboo as a biomass for fuel is
wide open.
|
