The Ethiopian Forestry Development and China’s Nanjing Forestry University have agreed to strengthen cooperation on the development of the bamboo industry in Ethiopia.
The bamboo plant has vital economic value in addition to its contribution to sustainable land management and promoting a green economy.
The Chinese are a pioneer in the exploitation of bamboo. In China, bamboo is widely made into construction materials and daily necessities, such as tissues, straws, tableware, and baseboards of truck beds, which are sold to many countries around the world.
According to statistics, the output of China’s bamboo industry surged from around 82.1 billion yuan in 2010 to 321.8 billion yuan in 2020.
Ethiopia is the first in Africa in terms of bamboo forest resources as over 1.4 million hectares of land are covered with bamboo in the country.
Studies show that if Ethiopia is able to fully utilize its untapped resource of bamboo, the sector will enhance foreign direct investment and job creation for its population.
The Ethiopian Forestry Development and China’s Nanjing Forestry University technical cooperation meeting has been held in Addis Ababa.
The key focus of the meeting was to seek cooperation between the two institutions on the development of the bamboo industry in Ethiopia, the technology needs and gaps of the sector as well as cooperation on research and training.
According to Ethiopian Forestry Development, the meeting was aimed at accelerating technical cooperation between the two institutions,
Further, both parties have agreed to work out details for formalizing a memorandum of understanding that will further inform areas of cooperation at the earliest to promote the relationship.
The meeting was hosted by the vice director general of the Ethiopian Forestry Development Motuma Tolera who affirmed his institution’s commitment to work with the Nanjing Forestry University on issues of discussion and beyond.
The EFD Research directors and executive officers alongside delegates from Nanjing Forestry University took part in the discussion.
Nanjing Forestry University is a national public research university that originated in 1902 as a forestry department of a central university in Nanjing, jiangu, China.
Source: ENA
