BAMBOO TOOTHPICKS MANUFACTURING UNIT
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TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY MODEL BAMBOO TOOTHPICKS MANUFACTURING BAMBOO TOOTHPICKS MANUFACTURING BAMBOO TOOTHPICKS MANUFACTURING UNIT UNIT UNIT INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR BAMBOO AND RATTAN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR BAMBOO AND RATTAN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR BAMBOO AND RATTAN
Transcript of BAMBOO TOOTHPICKS MANUFACTURING UNIT
TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY MODEL
BAMBOO TOOTHPICKS MANUFACTURING BAMBOO TOOTHPICKS MANUFACTURING BAMBOO TOOTHPICKS MANUFACTURING
UNITUNITUNIT
INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR BAMBOO AND RATTANINTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR BAMBOO AND RATTANINTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR BAMBOO AND RATTAN
Why bamboo?Why bamboo?Why bamboo?• Bamboos grow more rapidly than trees and start to yield within
three or four years of planting.
• Plantation establishment requires minimal capital investment and builds upon the inherent plant-cultivation skills of local farmers and foresters.
• Bamboos can be harvested annually and non-destructively.
• Bamboos are excellent for rejuvenating degraded lands and protecting against soil erosion.
• Bamboos may easily be intercropped with shallow-rooted crops.
• As well as the culms, all other parts of the bamboo plant can be used in rural livelihoods - shoots for food, leaves for fodder, and branches for items such as brooms and for firewood.
Why make toothpicks from bamboo?
• Bamboo wood is ideal for making toothpicks as
it is relatively soft. Toothpicks are low-value
products and the additional value imparted by
processing into toothpicks is less than for many
other products, such as woven items or flooring
boards. The relatively cheap bamboo wood is
therefore ideal.
• The market for toothpicks is very large and they
are widely used throughout the world.
• Substituting bamboo wood for tree-wood is
environmentally desirable and can help reduce
the pressure on timber forests.
How are toothpicks produced?
1. Bamboos are split 2. Splits are further split 3. Rods are dried
into thin splits into 2mm-diameter rods in the sun
4. Rods are cut to length 5. The ends are 6. Toothpicks are
sharpened packaged for sale
Requirements for success
• Sustained supply of bamboos suitable for toothpick
production. Species with long internodes are preferred.
• Some technically-trained personnel to manage and
maintain the unit.
• Start up capital.
• Access to markets and an innovative approach to
packaging and marketing.
Photo: End-sharpening
machine
Financial aspects of establishing a toothpick
manufacturing unit
• Capital costs for machines $13, 000
• Other start up costs $12 - 17, 000
• TOTAL $25, - 30, 000
For further informationFor further information
See
TOTEMs
Bamboo toothpicks TOTEM
Splitting and slivering unit TOTEM
Website
INBAR yellow pages for machinery
manufacturers.
http://www.inbar.int/yellowpages/default.asp
Contact
• INBAR, Beijing 100101-80, China
• Bamboo Engineering and
Research Centre, Nanjing Forestry
University, Nanjing, Jiangsu
province, 210037, China
