Technical Report: TECHNICAL FOLLOW-UP SAP ID REF # 100043...

RESTRICTED 12 April 2016

Original: English

Technical Report:

TECHNICAL FOLLOW-UP

BAMBOO PROCESSING IN SRI LANKA

SAP ID REF # 100043-2014

1000043-1-04-01 BL1100

Prepared for the

United Nations Industrial Development Organization

Based on the work of

Victor Brias Matilla

International Consultant

UNIDO Project Manager: Mr. Antonios Levissianos

DRAFT

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1

II. Terms of Reference............................................................................................................ 2

III. List of Contacts and Meeting Notes .................................................................................. 4

IV. Bamboo Workshop at Galle Face Hotel on 9 March 2016 .............................................. 18

V. Field Trip to Kahawatte Plantations PLC (DILMAH) at Ratnapura ................................... 20

VI. Field Trip to Walpita Farm in Gampaha ........................................................................... 23

VII. Proposed Species for Bamboo Plantations in Sri Lanka .................................................. 29

VIII. Summary of Feedback from Stakeholders ....................................................................... 36

IX. Provisional Framework for a Bamboo Strategy for Sri Lanka .......................................... 39

X. References ....................................................................................................................... 44

1

I. Introduction

This report covers the work by Victor Brias, International Consultant (IC), for UNIDO Project Bamboo

Processing in Sri Lanka. It covers the ICs mission to Sri Lanka during the month of March 2016,

including home-based work.

One of the main reasons for the visit to Sri Lanka was to give a presentation during the Bamboo

Workshop organized by UNIDO on the 9th of March at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo. A soft copy of

the presentation was submitted to UNIDO more than a week prior to the event and has been resent by

email for inclusion as an annex to this report.

In addition, the IC was held meetings with stakeholders in the bamboo sector and visited potential

plantation sites areas. The IC was accompanied by Dr. Niels Schulz (UNIDO Environmental Consultant)

in all field trips and in most meetings.

Meetings with various stakeholders from the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), private sector, and

researchers were held; the interactions with stakeholders were useful for getting feedback about

expectations and plans of stakeholders in relation to bamboo. They were particularly useful for

formulating a provisional bamboo strategy framework that is included towards the end of this report.

A field visit to Ratnapura was made to (1) assess land for prospective bamboo pilot plantations at tea

estates and (2) learn about the use and effectiveness of bio-char as applied in Sri Lanka’s tea plantations.

A field visit was also made to Walpita Seed Farm of the Department of Agriculture in Gampaha. The

farm is the site of a bamboo plantation and nursery that was established at least 8 years ago, and which is

still active today as a supplier of bamboo planting materials.

This report includes, as per his job description, an updated list of species for bamboo plantations in Sri

Lanka. Recommendations of species made in previous missions remain the same, the main addition

being Melocanna baccifera which grows well in Walpita Farm, and which can potentially be used for

erosion control and as a source of biomass.

In addition to items listed in the job description, the IC prepared 2 documents that can serve as resource

information for stakeholders who were requesting for information about the economics of planting

bamboo as well as practical information about growing bamboo.

The 2 documents the IC prepared are (1) a revised and shortened version of the pre-feasibility study

(prepared in 2014) for a 100 ha bamboo plantation with intercropping and (2) a document entitled:

“Bamboo For Sri Lanka–Bamboo Cultivation and Post Harvest Treatments: Some Tips for the Layman. “

Both documents have been sent to the the Project Manager by email for inclusion as annexes to this

report. The documents have also been sent to the Association of Bamboo Growers and Industry of Sri

Lanka, which should (following the instruction of the Project Manager) take charge of distributing the

documents to stakeholders.

2

II. Terms of Reference

4

III. List of Contacts and Meeting Notes

CONTACTS MEETING NOTES

Mr. Nawaz Rajabdeen

National Director

UNIDO Focal Point Office

73/1 Galle Road

Colombo-03, Sri Lanka

and

President

Association of Bamboo Growers &

Industry

c/o Ministry of Industry and Commerce


Tel. +94 11 2325869, 2542103

Fax: +94 11 2325869

Mobile + 94 77 7722128

E-mail: [email protected]

Several meetings were held with Mr. Nawaz from 8-19 March to discuss and provide feedback on the ICs

activities and meetings.

Mr. Nawaz was very helpful in organizing meetings with private sector companies particularly with:

o Dr. Neville Fernando of SAITM o Dr. Jaanaki Gooneratne of BPO LANKA (Pvt.)

Ltd

o Mr. Danesh Abeyrathne (COO of Gal Oya Plantations (Pvt) Ltd and Mrs. Sharmini

Wickremasekera of LOLC Group

o Mrs. Indika Sellahewa, International Society For Small And Medium Enterprises (ISSME)

Anusha Lalani Ediweera (NPC)

National Project Coordinator

Bamboo Processing in Sri Lanka


73/1, Galle Road

Colombo-03, Sri Lanka

Tel. / Fax +94 11 2542103

Mobile +94 717268742


The NPC provided assistance in organizing meetings on the request of ICs V. Brias and N. Schulz.

On the request of the ICs, she provided information regarding Sustainable Green Energy (Pvt.) Ltd.

Note: News published about Sustainable Green Energy

(Pvt.) Ltd. on the internet indicates that the project has

obtained a green light for the GoSL to start large scale

(2000 acres) bamboo plantations in Vavunia district that

will serve as feedstock for bioenergy. But this

information is false.

The NPC was able to contact the Director of the Agriculture Department in Vavunia who confirmed that

there is no bamboo plantation project in Vavunia because

the Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed

project of Sustainable Green Energy (Pvt.) Ltd was not

approved.

Due to this information, the ICs (V. Brias & N. Schulz) decided – in consultation with Mr. Levissianos and Mr.

Rajabdeen - to cancel the planned trip to Vavunia district.

Instead, it was decided to: o Hold meetings with plantations companies that

have indicated (in past missions) that they have

some land that can be cultivated with bamboo

o Visit bamboo growing areas in Ratnapura and Gampaha

5


Mr. Susantha Julian Payoe

Managing Director

Euroasia Agro (Pvt) Ltd.

Industrial Park, Ulapane, Gampola

Sri Lanka

Mob. +94 777 777 606

Tel. / Fax + 94 112 232 399


www.euroasiaplantbiotec.com

USA Office

42847, Sykes Terrace

Chantilla, VA 20152, USA

Mob. (001) 703 338 6848

Tel. (001) 703 323 1430

Fax. (001) 703 425 3418

Meeting Date/venue: Tuesday, 8 March 2016 at Hilton Hotel

Colombo

He is planning to start up a tissue culture lab in Sri Lanka for the production of agricultural planting material

(bananas & others unspecified) and wants to produce

bamboo.

He intends to collaborate with Shantha Ramanayake for the micropropagation of bamboo.

He had a list of various species including D.asper, D. hookerii, D. giganteus, B. vulgaris, B. Balcooa, B.

bambos B. blumeyana, B. textilis.

His main concern is the market for bamboo planting material and was expecting to make a buy-back

agreement with UNIDO to ensure the sale of his plants.

He was informed that UNIDO does not deal directly with the private sector in business matters.

There is increasing awareness about the potential of bamboo in Sri Lanka, and as a private sector enterprise he

will have do his own marketing and sales.

The IC suggested to Mr Payoe that once his TC lab is established, he should consider taking the necessary

actions for obtaining AQIS (Australian Quarantine

Inspection Service) Accreditation, which is regarded as a

quality label of tissue culture plant growers worldwide.

Mrs. Shantha Ramanayake

Tissue Culture / Bamboo Consultant

Kandy, Sri Lanka

Mobile: 0718381263

Tel.: 0812310499

E-mail:

[email protected]

Meeting Date: 9 March 2016. Follow up telephone

conversations and emails from 10 – 17 March 2016.

She is the scientist responsible for developing the tissue culture protocols for bamboo for the MASL Riverine

Bamboo Project. She was the main person responsible for

designing the TC laboratory and making it function

efficiently.

The IC initially made contact with her in 2010 during the preparatory assistance for the project.

Renewed contact was made during the conference on 9 March 2016, followed up by various telephone and email

discussion between March 11-19.

IC informed her about the interest of Dilmah Conservation to start ASAP with a pilot bamboo

Plantation of 50 -100 ha.

She confirmed that she is available to provide technical assistance.

She contacted Mr. Attanayake, Director of Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka to obtain information on the

current status of the MASL TC lab at Kothmale.

NOTE: The IC contacted Mr. Attanayake, Director of MASL

back in 2014 to inquire about the price and availability of

bamboo plants. In 2014, Mr. Attanayake said that the price

per planting material from tissue culture, grown to the size of

mailto:[email protected]://www.euroasiaplantbiotec.com/

6


1 m in polybags is Rs 60 per plant; for large quantities this

price can be reduced to Rs 45 per plant.

Shantha Ramanayake confirmed that the lab at Kothmale currently has a stock of 20 thousand D. hookeri plants

that are about 0.5 m tall and ready for planting. The cost

per plant at Kothmale is Rs 60.

MASL has stopped propagating D. asper and D. giganteus, but they need the assistance to Shanta

Ramanayake, since those species are more difficult to

propagate.

Hearing about the interest of Dilmah in Bamboo, Mr Attanayake offered to give Dilmah about 100 large D.

hookeri plants for free to use for trial purposes.

The information provided by Shantha Ramanayake was shared with Mr. Asanka Abeykoon of Dilmah

Conservation. The IC suggested that they communicate

directly and work out a possible form of cooperation

between themselves, since UNIDO does not intervene

directly in private sector deals.

Prof. Dr. Sandun Senarath

Head of the Dept. of Botany

University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Nugegoda, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Mobile: +94 (0) 7181 36014

Email: [email protected]

Meeting Date: Wednesday, 9 March 2016

The IC met her in a previous mission in 2014 and met her again briefly during the bamboo workshop held at the

Galle Face Hotel.

She is responsible for bamboo tissue culture research at the university, which was mainly propagating

Dendrocalamus asper.

She stated that the research of her Ph.D. student (Priyantha Chandrasena) was complete and that they have

stopped the cultures of bamboo due to the lack of demand

and the limited space of their small lab, which is now

dedicated to the tissue culture of other plants.

Apart from requesting funds for the expansion of the lab in the University from UNIDO, she also tried to get funds

from DILMAH Conservation, but did not succeed.

Mr. Michael Schraam

CEO

Bamboo Resources Development (Pvt)

Ltd.

65/3 Kirula Road

Colombo 5, Sri Lanka

(+94) 771 177 853

Meeting Date: 9 March 2016.

He expressed (in a very protracted and tedious manner) disappointment with the slow progress of the UNIDO

project.

It appears that he expects the project to provide support and finance for his company’s activities.

So far, his company has not cultivated any bamboo or taken any action towards developing bamboo resources or

industry.

The IC told him that, as a private sector stakeholder, he should not wait for international organizations or

government agencies to take the lead. Instead, since he

knows very well that bamboo takes at least 7-8 years to

mature, he should have already planted bamboo. The

worst-case scenario for his business is that the bamboo

will find a market as biomass.

mailto:[email protected]

7


Mr. Asanka Abayakoon

Manager

DILMAH Conservation

111 Negembo Road,

Peliyagoda, Sri Lanka

Tel: +94 11 482 2000

Tel. (direct): + 94 11 482 2469

Mob. +94 77 730 7966

Fax. +94 11 482 2001

E-mail:

[email protected]

www.dilmahtea.com

www.mjffoundation.org

----

Mr. Sirimevan De Silva

Director – General Manager

TIMBER CONCEPTS (Pvt) Ltd.

Head Office: 111 Negombo Road

Wattala, Sri Lanka

Tel. +94 11 482 2000

Fax. +94 11 482 2001

E-mail; [email protected]

Factory: 474 Hendala Rd., Wattala

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Tel. +94 11 2937809

Fax. +94 11 2945321

Mob. +94 77 7390932


Meeting Date: Friday 11 March 2016:

Mr. Asanka said that Dilmah is interested in bamboo for several reasons. They want to diversify into other crops

for their plantations that are struggling with low market

prices of tea and rubber, and they consider bamboo a

possible option. Workers have been moving to urban

areas and there is an increasingly low supply of skilled

labor in plantations.

Dilmah Conservation has initiated a program of using biochar --which is the name used for charcoal when it it

used as a soil amendment-- in their plantation lands with

nutrient depletion. Biochar can increase soil fertility,

increase agricultural productivity and provide protection

against some foliar and soil-born diseases.

Biochar is a stable solid, rich in carbon and can endure in soil for thousands of years. Research is being conducted

to use it for carbon sequestration and thereby help

mitigate climate change by producing negative carbon

dioxide emissions.

Dilmah is currently importing 30 tons of charcoal per month for use as biochar. They are also producing their

own biochar through the pyrolysis of low quality tea and

other biomass from their plantations. They plan to make

use of bamboo as a source of biomass for their own

biochar production, which will save them the cost of

procuring charcoal.

There is another important reason for Dilmah’s interest in bamboo: Their subsidiary, Timber Concepts (Pvt) Ltd, is

already making industrial laminated bamboo products.

The factory of Timber Concepts in Colombo, which is managed by Mr. Sirimevan De Siva, has a complete

production line of state of the art machinery including a

hot hydraulic press and laser cutters that are used for

making high quality wood boxes for export quality

products.

In the lamination process they are using E1 grade urea-formaldehyde glue (manufactured by Dynea in Norway).

They need to make use of the highest quality materials to

conform with European standards.

The bamboo material that they are using is imported from China. To be in conformity with EU standards, the wood

that is used must be harvested from certified

forests/plantations.

Currently there is no FSC certified bamboo plantation in Sri Lanka. Dilmah wants to take the lead in growing

bamboo from certified forests, which will reduce their

costs of production.

Currently, each 2 meter long bamboo strip they import from China costs USD 0.30. Producing their own bamboo

will allow them to produce 100% Sri Lankan products at

a fraction of the current cost of production.

mailto:[email protected]://www.dilmahtea.com/http://www.mjffoundation.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

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Mr. Asanka Abayakoon of Dilmah is anxious to start some pilot plantations as soon as possible. He says he can

start with 50 to 100 hectares for trial purposes.

According to him, some of their estates already have large clumps of yellow bamboo. The bamboo is not

utilized. They require guidance on the species to plant.

The IC informed Mr. Asanka that: o bamboo is available at the TC lab of MASL at

Kothmale

o Shanta Ramanayake is a local expert who was instrumental in the successful implementation of the

MASL Riverine Bamboo project. She can provide

them with technical services so long as she is

renumerated.

The IC put Mr. Asanka and Shanta Ramanayake in touch with each other so that they could negotiate directly

regarding a possible cooperation.

Mr. Asanka also made arrangement for the ICs V. Brias and N. Schulz to visit Dilmah’s plantations in Ratnapura.

Mr. Lalith Obeyesekere

Director / CEO

Balangoda Plantations PLC

P.O. Box 06

Palmgarden, Ratnapura, Sri Lanka

Tel. 045-2222650

Fax. 045-2223598

E-mail1: [email protected]

Email2: [email protected]

&

Madulsima Plantations PLC

Hingurama Complex

Badulla, Sri Lanka

Tel & Fax: 055-2226292

Meeting Date: Monday, 14 march 2016

His company, Balangoda Plantations PLC, engages in the cultivation, manufacture, and sale of tea and rubber in Sri

Lanka. The cultivated land consists of 5,400 hectors

under tea and 1900 hectors under rubber.

They have about 35 tea and rubber estates in the western wet zone of Sri Lanka. The main areas are Kirkoswald,

Venture and Theresea.

Bamboo has been planted along the rivers, especially in Bogontalawe for environmental purposes, controlling soil

erosion and stabilization of river banks. Based on his

description of the bamboo, the species used are likely to

be B. vulgaris ‘Vittata’ (yellow) and larger green species

(probably Dendrocalamus asper or D. giganteus).

They have +/- 20000 ha under a 54 year land lease. There are no restrictions on land use but the GoSL is

increasingly putting pressure for crop diversification.

They are looking at bamboo as potential crop for diversification but lack knowledge and information about

bamboo.

They need to do a cost benefit analysis to determine what crop to plant, so Mr. Lalith Obeyesekere requested

financial information of the UNIDO bamboo plantation

pre-feasibility study.

One of their main concerns is the market for bamboo raw material; the ideal situation for cultivating bamboo would

be a buy-back guarantee.

He was informed of UNIDO’s planned activity of setting up a training center for processing bamboo products,

which aims at training-of-trainers, and eventually

stimulating growth in the industrial sector of bamboo

products.

He was also informed of the revolving fund of US$

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

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600,000 for micro-financing bamboo cultivation and

industries, which is a positive development for cultivating

bamboo.

Mr. Mahen Madugalle

Director/CEO

Lankem Tea & Rubber Planattions

(Pvt) Ltd.

Managing Agent

Lankem Plantation House

53 1/1 Sir Baron Jayatilaka Mawatha,


Tel. +94 11 5288265

Mob. 0777289810

Fax: 011 2381512

Meeting Date: Monday, 14 march 2016

The company has 6000 ha of Tea and Rubber estates in the central highland region around Hatton and Kotagale,

2600 ha of which are dedicated to tea.

Bamboo has been planted for conservation purposes using planting materials distributed by the agricultural

department.

The bamboo has never been harvested and utilized and they do not know what to do with it. Nevertheless they

expressed interest in the potential of bamboo.

They are prepared to plant about 100 ha of bamboo, but require more information on the cost of cultivation.

When given the information of bamboo plant cost from 2014 (Rs. 50), he was surprised that it was very high –

more than double the cost of tea plants.

The IC said we would facilitate more information regarding the cost of cultivation of bamboo. The

information will be provided to and distributed by Mr.

Nawaz Rajabdeen, President of the Association of

Bamboo Growers and Industry.

LANKA ORGANICS

Mr. S. Muthusammy

Chairman

Greenfield Holdings (pvt) Ltd.

No. 23 Baybrooke Street


Tel: +94 11 2300159

Fax: +94 11 2336325

Mob. +94 71 4881719

Email:[email protected]

Web: www.fairtradeorganicteas.com

-----

Mr. Ranjit V. Perera

Director Plantations

Greenfield Holdings (pvt) Ltd.

No. 23 Baybrooke Street


Tel. +94 11 2336326

Fax. +94 11 2336325

Mob. +971 6845031


-----

Mr. Nihal Aluvihare

Director

Lanka Organics (Pvt) Ltd

Tel: +94 11 2300159

Fax + 94 11 2336325

Mob. +94 77 7259588

Meeting Date: Monday, 14 March 2016

The company has 8000 acres (3237 ha) in Sri Lanka and applies an outgrower scheme focusing on organic

products with 5000 outgrowers.

They have 300 acres (121 ha) of timber

Their products have organic certification carried out by the certifying bodies   NASAA (Australia) and Control Union (Netherlands). The farms and plantations

maintained without the use of pesticides and artificial

fertiliser. Their products utilize natural fertilisers such as

green manure, compost, cattle dung and vermiculture.

They have some bamboo in their lands in Kothmale, Aputale, Habupale and Kotagala. During the

implementation of the MASL Riverine Bamboo Project 2

bamboo plants were given to each of the farmers of their

outgrower program; the bamboos were planted for

environmental purposes, and are not harvested or utilized.

Their forest areas are mainly planted with Eucalyptus.

They are interested in bamboo for diversification but do not yet know the economic value of bamboo. They would

need to compare and evaluate bamboo to other woody

species, especially Eucalyptus.

mailto:[email protected]://www.fairtradeorganicteas.com/mailto:[email protected]

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Web: www.lankaorganics.com

Priyantha H. Chandrasena

Ph.D. Candidate at University of Sri

Jayewardenepura

Mobile: +94 (0) 714 472 096


Telephone contact on Tuesday, 15 March 2016

He is the tissue culture expert who has successfully developed tissue culture protocols for Dendrocalamus

asper.

Initial contact was made with him during the IC’s mission to Sri Lanka in 2014.

Follow up communication was done during 2015; the IC provided Priyantha with bibliographical sources for his

Ph.D. research.

Priyantha has submitted his Ph.D. dissertation and is due to defend it in April 2016.

He has a new job and is very busy, but he is looking for new opportunities to continue his work on bamboo.

He confirmed that UNIDO and/or the Association of Bamboo Growers and Industry may disseminate his

contact information and work on bamboo to companies

looking for a bamboo TC expert.

The IC requested Priyantha to provide a copy of his Ph.D. Dissertation. Priyantha confirmed that he would send a

soft copy after his doctoral defense.

Mr. H.M. Buddika Hemashantha

Chief Executive Officer

Sri Lanka Climate Fund

Ministry of Mahaweli Development &

Environment

No. 980/A4, Wickramasinghe plc.

Ethulkotte, Sri Lanka

Tel. Direct +94 11 2078210

Tel & Fax: +94 11 2053065

Mob. +94 77 0320110


Web: www.carbonfund.lk

Meeting Date: Tuesday, 15 March 2016

The meeting was arranged by the NPC. The purpose of the meeting was to inquire about the procedure and cost

for obtaining FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council)

certification for bamboo plantations.

During the meeting we learned that Sri Lanka Climate Fund is not a certification agency for the FSC.

However, they are looking into the possibility of

becoming an accredited certification agency.

Mr. Buddika provided information regarding Accreditation Services International (ASI), which is one

of the world’s leading accreditation bodies for

sustainability standards systems.

ASI assesses organizations that issue certificates for a range of standards (including forestry plantations),

ensuring that audits are conducted with competence and

global consistency. As the sole accreditation body for

environmental standards systems such as the Forest

Stewardship Council. ASI oversees the correct

application of a standard’s criteria for certified

operations worldwide.

He explained that his office —Sri Lanka Climate Fund—is fundamentally engaged in achieving Sri

Lanka’s environmental targets in accordance with the

country’s commitments in UNFCCC Paris agreement of

2015. The country aims to reduce GHG emissions and

mitigate climate change through various strategies

including increasing forest cover. In particular, he

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11


mentioned that Sri Lanka aims to increase its forest

cover (currently 29.6%) to 32% and indicated that

certified bamboo plantations can play a roll in this

regard.

Mr. Buddika will look into the various options for certifying plantations and will keep the UNIDO project

informed (by contacting the NPC).

Mr. A.P. Piyathissa

Project Manager

Wanasarana Thurulatha Swechcha

Society (WTSS) - (Voluntary Tree

Planting Society)

Matara, Sri Lanka

Tel. 071 621 6642


WTSS is a Voluntary Tree Planting Association that currently has 60 members

They have large yellow bamboo (B. vulgaris ‘Vittata’) planted in their community land along the banks of

Nilwala River in Matara (Southern Province).

Bamboo plants were supplied by the forestry department about 25 years ago.

The extent of the bamboo is 2.5 km along each side of the river bank (total 5 km length). One row of bamboo is

planted on the river banks with a spacing ranging from 5

to 10 meters. The estimated number of clumps is

therefore between 500 to 1000. (They do not have a clear

inventory of their bamboo resources.

Mr. Piyathissa has travelled to the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand and has been exposed to bamboo utilization

in those countries.

Currently the bamboo that is harvested is sold for scaffolding at a farmgate price of Rs 60 per culm.

Before bamboo is sold and transported they need to obtain a permit (which costs Rs. 25). The procedure for

getting the permit involves approval from: (1) Village and

community leaders; (2) Divisional Secretary; and finally

(3) The Forestry Officer. The process is straightforward

and permits are easily obtained so long as there is an

agreement by all parties. The buyer of the bamboo needs

a copy of the permit in order to transport the bamboo

culms.

WTSS read about the UNIDO project in the local press and they want to get involved in order to generate greater

value from their bamboo.

The IC informed Mr. Piyathissa about the plan to establish a training center for industrial bamboo products;

also he was informed about the revolving fund that would

provide soft loans for bamboo growers and industries.

Information about bamboo planting materials from

MASL Lab was also provided and advise was given

about planting other bamboo species that is currently

available, such as Dendrocalamus hookerii.

In order to get updated about project activities, he was advised by the IC to stay in touch with Mr. Nawaz

Rajabdeen of UNIDO Focal Point, who is also the

President of the Association of Bamboo Growers and

Industry of Sri Lanka.

12


Mr Suresh Nawaratne

General Manger

Elkaduwa Plantations PLC

320 T.D. Jayan MW


Tel 077 32 79639


Elkaduwa Plantations is a fully Government owned Regional Plantations Company (RPC) which is moving

towards privatization. The RPC is managed by the

Treasury of the GoSL.

This move towards privatization is a current trend among RPCs in Sri Lanka that are not competitive, especially

because of the high cultivation costs of tea and rubber,

and low market prices.

Mr. Nawaratne was eager to meet with UNIDO hoping to obtain capital or even to sell land.

The RPC has 4500 hectares of tea and rubber, as well as coconut and spices. They are open to diversifying their

production to bamboo.

However, if they plant bamboo they want a buy back guarantee for the bamboo raw material since they do not

have knowledge about the market of bamboo.

The IC mentioned that: bamboo is useful for timber and as an energy crop, both of which are valuable resources

with a growing market. Some innovative local companies

see a clear opportunity for making products and

generating income from bamboo. UNIDO, in cooperation

with HNB will make a revolving fund available for

microfinance for bamboo plantations and industries. He

should staty in touch with the Association of Bamboo

Growers and Industries to obtain more information about

bamboo and the possibilities of microfinancing.

Dr. Neville Fernando

President & Chairman

South Asian Institute of Technology

and Medicine (SAITM)

P.O. Box 11

Millenium Drive

IT Park, Malabe Sri Lanka

Tel. +(94) 11 2413331

Fax. +(94) 11 241 332

-----

Prof. S.L. Ranamukhaarachchi

Professor & Senior Academic Advisor

Department of Environmental and

Biosystems Engineering



Mobile: +94 – 777801709

E-mail:

[email protected]

-----

Dr. Sisuru Sendanayake

Dean, Faculty of Engineering


Meeting on Wednesday 16 March 2016 (arranged by Mr.

Nawaz Rajabdeen).

Dr. Fernando is interested in doing tissue culture of bamboo as a business. But more specifically he is

interested in propagating bamboo in the TC lab that is

being established at SAITM.

The TC lab is mainly for students following a degree in Bioscience engineering.

Currently, only a small space has been allocated for a small TC lab with a small acclimatization chamber for

research purposes. The research lab will have one laminar

flow, which is the minimum requirement for research.

Dr. Fernando said that he can allocate a separate building for a larger (commercial) laboratory.

TC is very new at SAITM. Dr. Sisuru Sendanayake, who with take charge of the TC activities, said he has

experience in micropropagating potatoes and other

vegetables.

He knows that micropropagating woody plants is more challenging but he is confident that he can propagate

bamboo.

The IC informed him that there are experts in Sri Lanka


13




who have successfully propagated bamboo.

The IC sent the contact details of Dr. Fernando and other SAITM staff the contact details of Prof. Shantha

Ramanayake and Priyantha H. Chandrasena via email.

Dr. Fernando replied via email on 24 March confirming that he would contact Shantha Ramanayake and hire her

as a consultant for his tissue culture project.

Mr. Lakkana Perera

Kahawatte Plantations PLC

(DILMAH)

Estate Manager

Houpe Estate, Ratnapura

Sri Lanka

Tel 077264961


[email protected]

----

Mr. A.K.D.I. Rukmal

Kahawatte Plantations PLC

(DILMAH)

Estate Manager

Ekkerella Estate

Ratnapura Sri Lanka

Mobile: +94 77 0523014

E-mail [email protected]

Field Trip / Meeting Date: Thursday, 17 March 2016

Mr. Asanka Abayakoon, Manager of DILMAH Conservation, facilitated the arrangements for the field

trip.

NPC Anusha Lalani Ediweera accompanied ICs V. Brias and N. Schulz on the field trip.

The purpose of the field trip to Kahawatte Plantations PLC (DILMAH) at Ratnapura was:

o To inspect and assess the area allocated for planting bamboo at Houpe Estate

o To visit the tea plantations at Endane Estate where biochar is used as a soil amendment

Mr. Lakkana Perera, Manager of Houpe Estate, guided us through the plantation lands and pointed out areas for

possible bamboo plantation.

Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vittata’ is already present which is a positive sign.

Land that has been identified for planting is prone to slight flooding as evidenced by the presence of water

puddles. The land has a slight slope; flow of excess

rainwater can be directed by digging trenches between

planting rows; this will prevent the formation of water

puddles.

Bamboo culms on the site have been cut, probably with a machete, just below breast height – which probably the

most comfortable position to cut, but not a good practice

for increased productivity.

The IC told Mr. Lakkana and his assistants that the correct way to harvest is to cut just above the first node

(close to the ground). The use of a good quality pruning

saw makes the job of cutting much easier, and also

ensures a clean cut.

Apart from the method of cutting, the IC made several recommendations to Mr. Lakkana.

o Bambusa vulgaris is a species that is easy to propagate by means of culm and branch cuttings.

o Cuttings can be directly planted on the ground during the rainy seasons have a very strong

chance of generating into clumps.

o Bambusa vulgaris is not the best species for industrial applications, but it can serve very well

for making biochar.


14


o The best time for harvesting the bamboo culms is during the driest months of the year, never during

the rainy season.

o Currently all the clumps of B. vulgaris are unmanaged. Grass around the clumps should be

cleared and the soil should be loosed. All the

dead /dried culms in the clumps should be

removed. Stubs of cut culms should be cut down

to the ground level. When the clumps are

properly cleaned, adding compost or organic

fertilizer around the clump will help the clump

regenerate and develop new shoots.

From Houpe Estate we travelled on to Endane Estate to see the tea plantations with biochar.

o The appearance of the tea plants at Endane Estate showed a much brighter green color than those at

Houpe estate. Also the foliage was seemed to be

suppler. Mr. Lakkana Perera and his associates all

confirmed the higher quality of the plants at

Endane Estate, and confirmed that this quality

change happened after the addition of the

biochar.

o 400 grams of biochar is applied per tea plant. The application requires digging a temporary furrow

between the plant rows and applying the biochar

at the depth of the roots. After application the

furrow is then leveled.

o To see how the biochar affects growth, soil was dug out around the tea plants and we observed

that the roots stretched outward toward the

biochar, which is a sign that roots move towards

the nutrients.

o One application of biochar costs approximately USD 1000 per ha. The application is done every

5 to 8 years, depending on the effective life of the

biochar. The cost of biochar therefore ranges

between USD 125–200 per year.

o According to the Estate managers, the biochar results in a very noticeable quality improvement

in tea and also to an increase of yield of 15% to

25%. Application of biochar also implies

reductions in up to 50% of fertilizer applications,

which makes it very cost effective and

economically beneficial for the plantation.

Mr. Parhirana

Farm Manager

Govt. Seed Production Farm

Department of Agriculture, Walpita

Gampaha, Sri Lanka

Mobile: 0718271070


Field Trip / Meeting Date: Friday, 18 March 2016

Walpita Farm at Gampaha is the location of the edible bamboo shoots project of CFC/INBAR.

The project was implemented from 2006 to 2011.

3 species of bamboo were introduced to Sri Lanka and planted at the farm: Dendrocalamus latiflorus, Bambusa

15


oldhamii, and Melocanna baccifera.

Edible bamboo shoots were harvested for the first time at Walpita Farm during the rainy months of October and

November 2009, after two years of cultivation.

Workers at the farm were trained on the harvesting of bamboo shoots.

Machinery for a pilot plant for processing and canning edible bamboo was installed at the Industrial Technology

Institute (ITI), Ministry of Science Technology and

Research of Sri Lanka.

Since the completion of the CFC/INBAR Project, Walpita farm has maintained a small nursery of bamboo plants.

Propagation of D. latiflorus is done by means of branch cuttings. Propagation of M. baccifera is done by rhizome

offsets, which is an easy method given that the species

has long rhizome necks.

Mr. Parhirana says that the survival rate of propagules at the nursery is at least 80% -- even close to 100%.

The demand for bamboo is not high, although on the day of the IC’s visit, one customer bought 120 plants that

were going to be planted as a green screen around a

factory in Colombo.

The selling price per plant of D. latiflorus is Rs 150 / plant.

Mr. Parhirana says he can produce about 500 plants per month.

His production is very much limited by the market as well as by the resources that are available in this GoSL owned

farm.

Propagation requires polybags and substrate mixture composed of 1 part sand, 1 part coconut fiber, and 1 part

soil.

In order to scale up production he would need advance payments from buyers.

Indika Sellahewa

Chairperson – Organizing Committee

International SME Industrial

Machinery Exhibition 2017

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR

SMALL AND MEDIUM

ENTERPRISES (ISSME)

Mob. +94 77 3088480


Website: www.issme.org

Meeting on 19 March 2016

This was an unplanned meeting; Mr. Rajabdeen was meeting with her at the Colombo swimming cub and

asked the IC to join.

She is interested in bamboo constructions (cottages, pergolas, pavilions, etc.) for tourism.

The IC explained that this required large bamboo with straight culms like D. asper. The culms are subjected to

borax preservation treatment to ensure the durability of

the bamboo material and prevent attack from borer

beetles and termites.

The IC also mentioned that Joerg Stamm, UNIDO consultant, was an expert in building such structures.

The main requirement at present is that plantations of large bamboo are needed (or that permits are obtained for

harvesting from lands of the Mahaweli river banks).

mailto:[email protected]://www.issme.org/

16


Then the harvested poles need to be preserved and used for construction.

Apart from her interest in bamboo, Mrs. Indika Sellahewa seems to be a very professional and charismatic person

who works for a strong organization that supports SMEs.

It is advisable to try to involve her in future activities of the Association of Bamboo Growers and Industries.

Dr. Jaanaki Gooneratne

Country Manager

Food Ingredients Division

DPO LANKA (Pvt.) Ltd

No. 2, 2/1 Chandra Silva Mawatha

Nawala-Pagoda Cross Road

Pagodam Nugegodo , Sri Lanka

Cel +94 779 511 574

Tel +94 112 819 590

Fax +94 112 819 591



She was previously working for the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI), Ministry of Science

Technology and Research of Sri Lanka.

She has retired from the public sector and now works in the private sector food industry.

When she was at ITI, she was one of the key scientists involved in the implementation of the edible bamboo

shoots project at Walpita Farm in Gampaha.

She confirmed the success of that project, which mainly makes use of Dendrocalamus latiflorus for edible bamboo

shoots.

There is an ongoing production at Beverley Estate in Deniyaya, Sinharaja in the southwest of Sri Lanka.

The bamboo shoots harvested are sold directly to hotels and Chinese restaurants. The price of raw shoots (with

sheaths) is about Rs 750 (US$ 5) . Cleaned bamboo

shoots are sold for about Rs 1500 per kilo (approx.

US$ 10/kg). The returns for the bamboo are very good,

but volumes are low since this is a very small niche

market; bamboo shoots are not a popular food item in Sri

Lanka.

In her present job, Dr. Jaanaki continues to do research on bamboo shoots as a nutrient and potential power food. In

particular she says she has developed a non-alcoholic

“energy drink” made from fermented bamboo shoots; the

drink is sweetened with sugar. She says that she has

received very positive feedback about the drink from her

contacts in China, and she believes that she potentially

has a very good product that needs to be produced and

marketed.

Mrs. Sharmini Wickremasekera

Chief Risk Officer

LOLC Group

Lanka ORIX Leasing Company PLC

No. 447/3 Cotta Road

Rajagiriya, Sri Lanka

Tel +94 11 5880100

Tel Direct. +94 11 5880227

Fax +94 11 2865606 +94 11 5880110

Mobile: +94 77 7 598781

Email [email protected]

Website: www.lolc.com


LOLC (Lanka ORIX Leasing Company) PLC. is one of the largest, most diversified and profitable corporations in

Sri Lanka. With gross profits of Rs. 44.5 Billion (US$297

Million) in the financial year 2014-15, the company is

active in numerous sectors including:

o Financial services (and microfinance) o Agriculture (Maturata plantations, Pussellawa

Plantations, & Gal Oya Plantations)

o Leisure (hotels and resorts) o Renewable Energy (mainly mini hydro power)


17


-----

Danesh Abeyrathne

Chief Operating Officer

Gal Oya Plantations (Pvt) Ltd,

Sri Jayawardenapura Mawatha,

Rajagiriya,

Sri Lanka

Tel. +94-63 5672881

Fax:- +94-63 2240199

Mobile:- +94-76-8238144

E-mail:- [email protected]

o Construction o Manufacturing and trading o Overseas expansion (they own 22.5% of

PRASAC Micro-Finance – the largest micro-

finance institution in Cambodia)

o Other strategic investments in Banking (33% share ownership of Seylan Bank PLC) and

Hospital (owner of Browns Hospital – 70 bed

multi specialty hospital with cutting edge

technology.)

Maturata plantations and Pussellawa Plantations consist of 43 individual estates that stretch across an area of over

23,000 hectares in Kandy District in the Central Province

of Sri Lanka. These estates produce over 12.5 M kilos of

tea and employ a workforce of over 21,000 persons

including executives, staff and workers.

Maturata is also home of Beverley Estate (388 ha in Deniyaya) which mainly produces western medium

grown tea but which also has clumps of Dendrocalamus

latiflorus that are harvested for edible bamboo shoots.

Gal Oya Plantations (Pvt) Ltd is consists of 7,600 ha of plantation land with approximately 5,200 ha of

cultivatable extent allotted amongst 4,400 families. The

remaining 2400 ha is used for factory buildings, housing

complexes, high lands reservations, field roads and

drainages. The project area is divided into 5 major zones

in Ampara (eastern Province) namely Varipathanchena,

Galmuduwa, Deegawapi, Hingurana, and Neetha.

Gal Oya is one of the main producers of sugar in Sri Lanka. Sugar cultivation has been expanding by over 600

ha per year over the last two years.

The company is also investing Rs 2.5 Billion (USD 16.7 Million) in a modern plant for power generation. They are

currently expanding their power generation capacity up to

10 MW, which they expect to complete by the end of

2017.

The company has also branched out into ethanol for energy production. They have invested Rs 800 million

(USD 5.3 million) to establish a distillery plant in

Colombo with the capacity of 21.5 KLPD (Kilo Liters Per

Day).

Like most companies involved in estate agriculture, LOLC wants to diversify into other products and consider

bamboo an option.

They learned about the UNIDO’s bamboo initiative through the local newspaper articles.

They are keen to learn more about the possibilities of cultivating and processing bamboo.

The IC informed them that he is in the process of preparing some documents (Pre-Feasibility Study and

Bamboo Growing Guide) that will be distributed to them

by the Association of Bamboo Growers and Industries.


18

IV. Bamboo Workshop at Galle Face Hotel on 9 March 2016

The IC prepared a PowerPoint presentation entitled “Technical Aspects and Business Prospects of

Commercial Bamboo Plantations in Sri Lanka”. A soft copy of the ppt file was sent by Email to UNIDO

HQ and to the UNIDO Focal Point Office in Colombo on March 1, 2016. A copy in PDF format is

included as an annex to this report.

The presentation covered information collected from previous missions and summarized the main results

of the prefeasibility study for a 100 ha bamboo plantation with intercropping that was prepared in 2014.

The presentation was divided into seven sections:

1. Bamboo in Sri Lanka 2. Bamboo Utilization, Industrialization, Value-Chain & Resource Needs 3. Key Issues of Forests & Plantations 4. Bamboo propagation & Planting Material for Plantations 5. Bamboo Plantation and Management 6. 100 Ha Bamboo Plantation Pre-Feasibility Study - Assumptions and Projected Results 7. Conclusions

The presentation was made on the 9th of March at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo. The entire content is

not going to be re-explained in this report; only two items from the presentation that are quite important

are mentioned below.

1) Radical Change in Bamboo Resource Base of Sri Lanka

The last bamboo survey in Sri Lanka was done 25 years ago in 1991. In that survey it was revealed that

bamboo naturally occurs as understory growth in state forests, and mainly in the South Western wet zone

of the country. The total area of bamboo cover in 1991 was 2.16 thousand hectares, and the vast majority

of the bamboos are small species (locally known as bata) that are used for handicraft making.

In 2007, the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka (MASL) initiated the Riverine Bamboo Project which

involved the tissue culture propagation and planting of large bamboo species such as Dendrocalamus

giganteus, D. hookerii, and D. asper. MASL distributed about 1 million bamboo plants for cultivation

along the banks of the Mahaweli River and its tributaries. It is estimated that 2500 ha of large bamboo

species have been planted since 2012.

This implies that over a period of 20 years, there has been a radical increase in bamboo resources as well

as a radical change in the profile of bamboo in Sri Lanka. Previously the bamboos were small; now the

predominant species in the country are large bamboos that have a strong potential for industrial use.

2) Impact of Intercropping on the financial results of a bamboo plantation

This point takes off from the pre-feasibility study for a 100 ha plantation that was prepared in 2014. The

pre-FS does not show what difference there would be in the results if there were no intercroppin . So for

the purpose of the presentation, calculations were made to show the financial results of the bamboo

plantation with and without intercropping.

This is summarized in the table below.

19

100 HA PLANTATION

Bamboo with

intercropping Bamboo w/o intercropping

TOTAL EQUITY

CAPITAL

16.4 M LKR

(126 K USD)

17.95 M LKR

(138 K USD)

NET PRESENT VALUE

(15%)

LKR 23.8 Million

(USD 182,876)

LKR 16.6 Million

(USD 127.6 K)

INTERNAL RATE OF

RETURN 40.46% 27.23%

NORMAL PAYBACK 6.82 years = 7 7.57 years = 8

DYNAMIC PAYBACK 7.44 years = 8 9.10 years = 10

3) Feedback on the Presentation

The workshop program was changed from a full-day event to a half-day event. All presentations were

given in the morning and there was no open forum or extended time for networking. Most networking and

feedback was given shortly after the presentation and during lunch. The feedback received was positive

and this led to several follow up meetings in the days after the workshop.

20

V. Field Trip to Kahawatte Plantations PLC (DILMAH) at Ratnapura

Field Trip / Meeting Date: Thursday , 17 March 2016

ICs V. Brias and N. Schulz travelled to Ratnapura to visit Kahawatte Plantations PLC (of DILMAH). Mr.

Asanka Abayakoon, Manager of DILMAH Conservation expressed interest in doing a bamboo pilot

plantation of 50 to 100 ha and he arranged the visit. The ICs were accompanied by NPC Anusha Lalani

Ediweera on the field trip.

The purpose of the field trip was (1) to inspect and assess the area allocated for planting bamboo at Houpe

Estate and (2) to visit the tea plantations at Endane Estate where biochar is used as a soil amendment.

Entrance to Houpe Estate Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vittata’ at Houpe Estate

Mr. Lakkana Perera, Manager of Houpe Estate, guided us through the plantation lands and pointed out

areas for possible bamboo plantation. Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vittata’ is already present which is a positive

sign.

Land that has been identified for planting is prone to slight flooding as evidenced by the presence of water

puddles. The land has a slight slope; flow of excess rain water can be directed by digging trenches

between planting rows; this will prevent the formation of water puddles. Bamboo culms on the site have

been cut, probably using a machete, just below breast height – which is probably the most comfortable

position for the cutter, but not a good practice for increasing productivity.

21

Plots Selected for Planting Bamboo at Houpe Estate, Ratnapura

The IC told Mr. Lakkana and his assistants that the correct way to harvest is to cut just above the first

node (close to the ground). The use of a good quality pruning saw makes the job of cutting much easier,

and also ensures a clean cut. Apart from the method of cutting, the IC made several recommendations to

Mr. Lakkana:

Bambusa vulgaris is a species that is easy to propagate by means of culm and branch cuttings.

Cuttings can be directly planted on the ground during the rainy seasons have a very strong chance of generating into clumps.

Bambusa vulgaris is not the best species for industrial applications, but it can serve very well for making biochar.

The best time for harvesting the bamboo culms is during the driest months of the year, never during the rainy season.

Currently all the clumps of B. vulgaris are unmanaged. Grass around the clumps should be cleared and the soil should be loosed. All the dead /dried culms in the clumps should be removed. Stubs of

cut culms should be cut down to the ground level. When the clumps are properly cleaned, adding

compost or organic fertilizer around the clump will help the clump regenerate and develop new

shoots.

From Houpe Estate we travelled on to Endane Estate to see the tea plantations with biochar.

Entrance to Endane Estate Tea Plantation at Endane Estate

22

The appearance of the tea plants at Endane Estate showed a much brighter green color than those at

Houpe estate. The foliage also seemed to be more supple. Mr. Lakkana Perera and his associates all

confirmed the higher quality of the plants at Endane Estate, and confirmed that this quality change

happened after the addition of the biochar.

Biochar deposit on under the soil at root level Roots of have stretched out toward the biochar

According to Mr. Lakkana Perera, 400 grams of biochar is applied per tea plant. The application requires

digging a furrow between the plant rows and applying the biochar at the depth of the roots. After

application the furrow is then leveled. To see how the biochar affects growth, soil was dug out around the

tea plants and we observed that the roots stretched outward toward the biochar, which is a sign that roots

move towards the nutrients. One application of biochar cost approximately USD 1000 per ha. The

application is done every 5 to 8 years, depending on the effective life of the biochar. The cost of biochar

therefore ranges between USD 125–200 per year.

According to the Estate managers, the biochar results in a very noticeable quality improvement in tea and

also to an increase of yield of 15% to 25%. Application of biochar also implies reductions in up to 50% of

fertilizer applications, which makes it very cost effective and economically beneficial for the plantation.

23

VI. Field Trip to Walpita Farm in Gampaha

Field Trip / Meeting Date: Friday, 18 March 2016

ICs V. Brias and N. Schulz travelled to Walpita, Gampaha to visit the Seed Production Farm of the

Department of Agriculture. The meeting was arranged by IC Niels Schulz, who had visited the farm in a

previous mission. The ICs were met by the farm manager, Mr. Parhirana.

Walpita Farm at Gampaha is the location of the edible bamboo shoots project of CFC/INBAR. The

project was implemented from 2006 to 2011. Three bamboo species were introduced to Sri Lanka and

planted at the farm, namely: Dendrocalamus latiflorus, Bambusa oldhamii, and Melocanna baccifera.

Edible bamboo shoots were harvested for the first time at Walpita Farm during the rainy months of

October and November 2009, after two years of cultivation. Workers at the farm were trained on the

harvesting of bamboo shoots.

Machinery for a pilot plant for processing and canning edible bamboo was installed at the Industrial

Technology Institute (ITI), Ministry of Science Technology and Research of Sri Lanka. Since the

completion of the CFC/INBAR Project, Walpita farm has maintained a small nursery of bamboo plants.

The nursery is very simple and modest: low cost but very functional.

Entrance to Walpita Farm Simple Potting Area with Shade Cloth

Propagation of D. latiflorus is done by means of branch cuttings. Propagation of M. baccifera is done by

rhizome offsets, which is an easy method given that the species has long rhizome necks. Mr. Parhirana

says that the survival rate of propagules at the nursery is at least 80% -- even close to 100%.

The demand for bamboo is not high, although on the day of the IC’s visit, one customer bought 120 plants

that were going to be planted as a green screen around a factory in Colombo.

The selling price per plant of D. latiflorus is Rs 150 / plant. Mr. Parhirana says he can produce about 500

plants per month; production is greatly limited by the market as well as by the resources that are available

24

in this GoSL owned farm. Propagation requires polybags and substrate mixture composed of 1 part sand,

1 part coconut fiber, and 1 part soil. In order to scale up production Mr. Parhirana would need advance

payments from buyers.

Shade Area at Walpita Farm Farm Workers Potting Branch Cuttings

Batch of potted D. latiforus cuttings The plants are well rooted and growing nicely

Overall the plants in the nursery are growing well. However, signs of leaf damage probably caused by

mites were noticed. The damage will not be fatal to the plants but manily diminishes their aesthetic

qualities. Attack by mites is not uncommon in nurseries. There are numerous methods of biological

control, as well as chemical controls (foliar pesticide / miticide sprays). However, given the basic type of

nursery that Walpita farm is--where plants are out in the open, and not in a controlled (greenhouse)

environment, the cost of spraying may outweigh the benefits. The leaf damage noticed in the nursery

was not present in the larger plants in the plantation.

25

Plantation of D. latiflorus

Considering that the bamboos were planted in 2007 and are now 9 years old, one would expect the culms

to have reached their full height and girth.

Most of the clumps of D. latiflorus in the plantation near the nursery area are however disappointingly

small; it appears that the ground in the area is compacted, which hinders good growth of new shoots.

Also, the ground is very stony, which is also a poor condition for growing.

A rapid assessment made it evident that the land was not properly prepared (plowed and rotovated) prior

to planting; also it seems that planting holes were not large enough.

On the area of the farm close to the stream, clumps of D. latiflorus manifested their normal size with

culms reaching 20 meters in height and diameter of 11 cm with culm walls of 3 cm at the base. These

“normal” specimens indicate that the species is true-to-type, manifesting the regular morphological traits

of D. latiflorus as it is found in Taiwan and throughout areas of Southeast Asia where it is widely

cultivated.

26

Clump of D. latiflorus with large culms (growing near the stream) at Walpita Farm

Culm wall thickness of D. latiflorus: +/- 3 cm near the base; +/- 2 cm at breat height

Melocanna baccifera (a.k.a. ‘Muli’) grows profusely in Walpita Farm, but culms are rather narrow.

According to Mr. Parhirana, the provenance of the plants is from tissue culture from Bangladesh, which

seems quite strange given that the gregarious flowering of the species in 2007-2008 in the Chittagong Hill

Tracts of Bangladesh (as well as throughout Northeast India) made Muli fruits very abundant. In any case,

the plants are relatively small compared to Muli planted by the IC in other parts of Southeast Asia. The

somewhat stunted growth could be attributed to the compact and stony ground of the farm.

27

Plantation of M. baccifera

Muli culms at Walpita Farm: Diameter ranges from 2.5 – 5 cm, culms relatively thick considering the

small diameter. Muli culms are known to grow larger, with a diameter of 5-9 mm.

Clumps of Bambusa oldhamii at Walpita farm are flowering. According to Dr. Niels Schulz, he observed

this flowering already back in 2014. It seems that the flowering is sporadic. There are many theories

regarding the flowering of bamboo; one of them is that bamboo flowers when the plants are under stress.

This seems to be plausible in the case of B. oldhamii, which is a species that thrives in subtropical zones,

and tends to struggle under extreme tropical conditions.

Bambusa oldhamii flowering at Walpita Farm

28

Overall, the main conclusion from the field trip is that Walpita farm is a viable supplier of planting

material for plantations, especially of D. latiflorus, which is an excellent species for industrial

applications. Walpita farm can also supply Muli bamboo to customers who are seeking bamboo mainly

for biomass or handicrafts. Muli forms large clumps that make harvesting easy. Also for environmental

applications like erosion control, Muli is an excellent choice. Although the current capacity of Walpita

farm for supplying bamboo plants is limited, that can change with increased demand. It would be ideal if

germplasm of D. latiflorus is introduced into the MASL lab at Kothmale so that this species can also mass

propagated by means of tissue culture. This can be achieved relatively easily given the willingness of

MASL.

29

VII. Proposed Species for Bamboo Plantations in Sri Lanka

The selection of species has to take into consideration the two main factors, namely: (1) the species that

are known to grow well in Sri Lanka and (2) the planting material that is already available or potentially

available from local suppliers in the short to medium term. The species that have shown good growth

performance in the wet zone of Sri Lanka and which are potentially available as planting materials are

listed in the following table:

SPECIES HT

(m)

DIA.

(cm) FEATURES KNOWN USES COMMENT

Bambusa vulgaris 15-20 4-10 Culms not

straight, thin

walls. Establishes

easily;

multipurpose

species.

Temporary

construction,

fences, pulp and

paper, hedges,

charcoal

Endemic throughout

the wet zone. Can be

propagated by

branch and/or culm

cuttings.

Dendrocalamus

asper

15-20 12-20 Culm walls: 2cm,

strong durable

culms

Edible shoots,

construction

material, industrial

applications,

charcoal

Propagated by TC by

MASL and planted

along the Mahaweli

River. Pre-order

needed. Lead time

18 months.

D. giganteus 20-30 20-30 Culm wall : 2cm Panels and boards,

furniture,

construction,

charcoal

Propagated by TC by

MASL and planted

along the Mahaweli

River. Pre-order

needed. Lead time

18 months.

D. hookeri 15-20 10-15 Thick walls Panels & boards ,

construction,

charcoal

Propagated by TC by

MASL and planted

along the Mahaweli

River. 20,000 plants

in stock as of March

2016.

D. latiflorus 15-20 10-15 Straight culms Edible shoots,

panels & boards,

handicrafts,

charcoal

Propagated by

branch cuttings with

good results at

Walpita Farm in

Gampaha. Limited

quantities available;

500 per month.

Melocanna

baccifera

10-20 5 - 9 Erect culms, thin

walls, long-neck

rhizomes –

spreading habit

Edible shoots,

handicrafts,

charcoal,

Erosion control

Propagated by

rhizome offsets with

good results at

Walpita Farm in

Gampaha

30

In order to ensure that planting material can be provided on a regular basis for plantations it is advisable

define planting material requirements with the main producers and make agreements such that the supply

of planting material is secured.

The TC lab and nursery of MASL is currently the only supplier that can provide large amounts of plants

in the relative short term. As of March 2016 they have a standing stock of 20 thousand D. hookeri plants.

They are able to propagate D. asper and D. giganteus on special order. The price per plant is Rs. 60 per

plant. Discounts for large orders are possible but need to be negotiated.

The contact details of MASL are:

Mr. Anura Dissanayake, Director General, MASL Tel. 011 268738, 011 268953

Mr. Attanayake, Director of MASL Kothmale lab. Tel. 081 2350206

The Department of Agriculture has a seed production farm in Gampaha known as Walpita farm. The farm

specializes in 3 species of bamboo were introduced to Sri Lanka namely: Dendrocalamus latiflorus,

Bambusa oldhamii, and Melocanna baccifera. Bambusa oldhamii has been flowering in the farm since

2014 so propagation is limited to D. latiflorus, and M. baccifera.

Propagation is done by traditional vegetative methods:

branch cuttings for D. latiflorus

rhizome offsets for M. baccifera

Production at the farm (which also propagates numerous other vegetables and spices) is quite limited.

About 500 plants are produced per month. The low production is due to limited demand. Given large

orders, production can be scaled up.

The person in charge of the farm is Mr. Parhirana. His contact details are:

Mr. Parhirana

Farm Manager

Govt. Seed Production Farm

Department of Agriculture, Walpita

Gampaha, Sri Lanka

Mobile: 0718271070


The source of the botanical descriptions of the selected species below is: Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T.

and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.

http://www.kew.org/data/grasses-db.html [accessed 04 April 2016; 12:25 GMT].

Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vittata’

HABIT: Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms geniculately ascending; 1500–2000

cm long; 40–100 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; thin-walled. Lateral

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branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement three, or several; in a clump; with 1 branch

dominant; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous; hispid; with dark brown hairs; auriculate; ciliate

on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 5–8 mm high. Culm-sheath blade ovate; 5–15 cm long; pubescent;

acute. Leaves 8–9 per branch. Leaf-sheaths pubescent. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles

falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded; with a

brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–30 cm long; 18–45 mm wide. Leaf-

blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate; hardened.

INFLORESCENCE: Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in untidy tufts; 1–3 cm long;

dense; with spathaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below

lateral spikelets; leafy between clusters.

FERTILE SPIKELETS: Spikelets comprising 4–12 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex.

Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10–20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below

each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite.

GLUMES: Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 0.7–0.8 length of upper

glume; coriaceous; without keels. Upper glume ovate; 0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous;

without keels.

FLORETS: Fertile lemma ovate; 9–11 mm long; without keel; 11–15 -veined. Lemma margins ciliate;

hairy above. Lemma apex acute. Palea oblong; 1 length of lemma; 6 -veined. Palea keels wingless; ciliate.

Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER: Lodicules 3; membranous; ciliate. Anthers 6; 5 mm long. Stigmas 2–3. Ovary umbonate.

FRUIT: Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION: Africa: Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, and western Indian ocean.

Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia.

Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central. North

America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South

America, and Brazil.

Dendrocalamus asper

HABIT: Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1500–2000 cm long; 120 mm

diam.; woody; with aerial roots from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; 40–50 cm long; distally

pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Buds or branches present on lower quarter of culm. Culm-sheaths

deciduous; 40–50 cm long; pale green; pubescent; with dark brown hairs; auriculate; with 7 mm high

auricles; ciliate on shoulders; shoulders with 5 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 7–10 mm high;

fimbriate. Culm-sheath blade linear; narrower than sheath; reflexed; 25 cm long; 35 mm wide; acuminate.

Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Ligule an eciliate membrane, or a ciliolate membrane; 2 mm long; entire,

or erose. Leaf-blade base cuneate; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.3–0.5 cm long.

Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–30 cm long; 10–25 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex

acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE: Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in globose clusters; dense; with

glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets;

leafless between clusters.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

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FERTILE SPIKELETS: Spikelets comprising 4–5 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension, or with

diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 6–9 mm long; 4 mm wide;

breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between

florets.

GLUMES: Glumes several; 1–2 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet.

FLORETS: Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma ovate; 8 mm long; chartaceous;

without keel. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy above. Lemma apex acuminate.

Palea chartaceous; 4–7 -veined; 2-keeled but the uppermost without keels. Palea keels ciliate. Palea

surface pubescent; hairy on back and on margins; hairy above. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren.

FLOWER: Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; 3.5 mm long; anther tip smooth. Stigmas 1; pubescent. Ovary

umbonate; pubescent on apex.


DISTRIBUTION: Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia.

Dendrocalamus giganteus

HABIT: Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 2000–3000 cm long; 200–300

mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; thin-walled; 30–45 cm long. Lateral branches dendroid.

Branch complement many; with 1 branch dominant; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous;

coriaceous; purple; pubescent; hairy throughout; with dark brown hairs; auriculate; glabrous on shoulders.

Culm-sheath ligule 6–12 mm high; ciliate and dentate. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; spreading. Leaves

5–15 per branch. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 3 mm long; erose. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like

connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–45 cm long; 30–60 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with

distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE: Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in stellate clusters; 2–2.5 cm

long; dense; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below

lateral spikelets; leafless between clusters.


FERTILE SPIKELETS: Spikelets comprising 4–8 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets

lanceolate; laterally compressed; 12–15 mm long; 3–4 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating

below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.

GLUMES: Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume orbicular; 0.7–0.8 length of

upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 13 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins with cross-veins. Lower

glume apex acute. Upper glume oblate; 8–13 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous;

without keels; 15 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins with cross-veins. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS: Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma oblate; 8–13 mm long; chartaceous;

without keel; 25 -veined. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex

acute. Palea 0.9 length of lemma; chartaceous; 6 -veined; 2-keeled but the uppermost without keels. Palea

keels ciliate.

FLOWER: Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; 7–10 mm long; anther tip apiculate. Stigmas 1. Ovary umbonate;

pubescent all over.

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FRUIT: Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 7–8 mm long; hairy at apex.

DISTRIBUTION: Africa: western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical:

India, Indo-China, and Malesia.

Dendrocalamus hookeri

HABIT: Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1500–2000 cm long; 100–150

mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; thick-walled; 40–45 cm long; dark green; distally pilose.

Lateral branches dendroid. Buds or branches absent from lower quarter of culm. Culm-sheaths 20–30 cm

long; 0.5–0.75 times as long as wide; hispid; with dark brown hairs, or black hairs; ciliate on shoulders.

Culm-sheath ligule 5–7 mm high; dentate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; 8–18 cm long. Leaf-sheaths

striately veined; pilose (below). Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty, or lacking. Ligule an eciliate membrane;

truncate. Leaf-blade base asymmetrical; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades

oblong. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation indistinct; with 16–32 secondary veins.

Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough abaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex

acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE: Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in globose clusters; 2.5 cm long;

dense; 5–8 cm between clusters; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of

spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafless between clusters.



ovate; laterally compressed; 8–10 mm long; 3 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below

each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.

GLUMES: Glumes two; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; coriaceous; without

keels. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume apex

acuminate.

FLORETS: Fertile lemma ovate; 8 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma lateral veins with cross-

veins. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma apex acute. Palea chartaceous; 2-keeled but the uppermost

without keels. Palea keels ciliate.

FLOWER: Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; anther tip penicillate. Filaments united in a tube. Stigmas 1;

plumose. Ovary umbonate; pubescent all over.


DISTRIBUTION: Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China.

Dendrocalamus latiflorus

HABIT: Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 150 mm diam.; woody. Culm-

internodes terete; thin-walled; distally glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths 25–30 cm long;

1 times as long as wide; brown; hispid; with appressed hairs; with black hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 5 mm

high; dentate. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or hirsute; outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate

membrane; obtuse, or acute. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades

oblong; 18–25 cm long; 30–75 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation with 12–

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18 secondary veins; with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; glabrous.

Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE: Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in globose clusters; lax; with

glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets;

leafless between clusters.



ovate; laterally compressed; 15–20 mm long; 10–12 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating

below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.

GLUMES: Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; chartaceous; without

keels. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 5 mm long;

chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS: Fertile lemma ovate; 10 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma lateral veins with cross-

veins. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex acute. Palea chartaceous; 5 -

veined; 2-keeled but the uppermost without keels. Palea keels ciliate.

FLOWER: Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; anther tip apiculate and pubescent. Filaments united in a tube.

Stigmas 1–2; plumose. Ovary umbonate; pubescent all over.


DISTRIBUTION: Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: Indo-China.

Melocanna baccifera

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary. Rhizomes elongated; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1000–2000 cm long;

50–90 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 30–60 cm long. Lateral branches dendroid.

Branch complement many; with subequal branches. Culm-sheaths persistent; coriaceous; pubescent; hairy

throughout; with yellow hairs; without auricles. Culm-sheath blade linear; reflexed. Leaves cauline; 5–15

per branch. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief

petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 18–42 cm long; 20–90 mm wide. Leaf-blade

venation with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes (of raceme-like secondary

branches); in oblong clusters; 1–1.5 cm long; dense; with spathaceous subtending bracts; bracts 1–1.5 mm

long; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafless between clusters.


FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–6 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension.

Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 15 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below

each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume lanceolate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5–7 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5–9 -veined. Lemma apex

rostrate; mucronate. Palea without keels. Rhachilla extension 0.1–0.2 length of fertile floret.

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FLOWER Lodicules 2; veined; ciliate. Anthers 5–7. Stigmas 2–4. Ovary with a steeple-like appendage;

glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with fleshy pericarp; ovoid; isodiametric; 75–125 mm long. Endosperm farinose

(small).

CLEISTOGENES AND VIVIPARY Vivipary occurs.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China.

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VIII. Summary of Feedback from Stakeholders

Discussions with stakeholders (as noted in section III above) shed light on some concerns and ideas that

can serve as building blocks for a provisional project strategy. In this section, I summarize the main

points below:

The role of the local press and newspapers in publishing positive stories about the UNIDO project and particularly about the workshop held at Galle Face Hotel on 9 March 2016 sparked a lot of

interest among private sectors. The publicity created interest and made meetings possible.

Landowners and private sector companies are interested in knowing more about the potential benefits of bamboo, and many companies interviewed are willing to establish pilot plantation of large bamboo

species for crop diversification.

Crop diversification is a major concern in Estate Lands because the cost of tea production is increasing and revenues are declining. This is also true for the two other main crops in the country,

namely rubber and coconut. Another reason why stakeholders are considering crop diversification is

the increasing scarcity of plantation labor due to migration of workers to urban areas where there are

more opportunities for higher wage rates.

Private sector companies are very interested to know more about bamboo. They especially want to know more about the economics of bamboo and what they need to do to get involved in bamboo

planting and industry. They lack information about bamboo and are unaware of the UNIDO/GEF

project, but also of previous initiatives in the country, notably the MASL Riverine Bamboo Project.

Most private sector companies that the ICs (V. Brias and N. Schulz) met requested more information

about the financial costs and returns of a bamboo plantation. It is important for companies to do a cost

benefit analysis and compare bamboo with other crops before they invest in bamboo. They were glad

to hear that a pre-feasibility study was prepared by the IC and requested a copy. (As discussed with

the project manager, the Pre-FS for a 100 ha plantation would be repackaged and the dissemination of

the report would be channeled though the Association of Bamboo Growers and Industry.)

On the whole, there is a lack of dissemination of project information. Many of the studies prepared by other international and national consultants (on environment and land availability, biomass, market,

etc.,) could also be edited and repackaged for dissemination – for example through a project website

or through a website of the Association of Bamboo Growers and Industries.

The meeting with Dilmah Conservation and the Dilmah subsidiary Timber Concepts in Colombo was an eye opener because it clearly showed the industrial potential of bamboo in Sri Lanka. As

mentioned in the meeting notes above, Dilmah markets its tea products internationally in bamboo

boxes such as those shown below:

As mentioned, the raw material used for manufacturing the tea boxes is imported from China. The reason for importing the material is because it must come from certified forests so that it conforms to

European standards and becomes eligible for export.

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Increased awareness about environmental issues and legislation in favor of environment friendly products makes it advisable for bamboo plantations in Sri Lanka to obtain Forest Stewardship

Council certification through organization authorized by Accreditation Services International (ASI)

(www.accreditation-services.com). In principle, any organization or individual can apply for

certification, but in practice only large estates and companies are able to complete the requirements

for certification. Most of the large estates in Sri Lanka obtain one form of international certification or

another, and will be able to obtain forest certification if they intend to plant bamboo for export

products. Lanka Organics for example have organic certification carried out by the certifying bodies

  NASAA (Australia - http://www.nasaa.com.au ) and Control Union (Netherlands - http://www.controlunion.com/en ). Such companies have the organizational capacity to fulfill the

requirements for FSC certification if t

Technical Report: TECHNICAL FOLLOW-UP SAP ID REF # 100043...

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