CNI News
15 Oct 2022
The demand for prefabricated bamboo tents has been rising thanks to orders from parks and restaurants, Vice Chairman U Kyaw Win of the Bamboo Products Cooperative Society told the CNI.
Most of the buyers of bamboo tents were from Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw.
He told the CNI, “Public interest in bamboo has been growing. Most bamboo tents were purchased for use in restaurants and parks. Some people bought bamboo tents to be set up in their plantations and compounds. Most buyers preferred complete prefabricated bamboo tents. Some people bought bamboo. It is profitable for every bamboo workshop. If bamboo craftsmen do their jobs properly, there are many buyers. We make bamboo tents, furniture and structures. We have received a large number of orders for all our products. Public interest in bamboo is growing. Most buyers place emphasis not on prices but on craftsmanship. As bamboo can absorb heat from the body, people who use bamboo furniture can relax their strained muscles. Increasing number of people are buying bamboo products because they are convenient and healthy for them.”
Bamboo handicrafts.
Prices of bamboo tents range between MMK 150,000 and MMK 1.8 million depending on their sizes and designs and U Kyaw Win’s workshop can sell at least one bamboo tent a week.
Similarly, public interest is also growing for other bamboo products like piggy banks, lamps, clocks and kettles.
A raw bamboo seller told the CNI, “As there are about six varieties of bamboo used by workshops, they order raw bamboo varieties which are not available at my shop from other shops. Mostly, I have to supply raw bamboo for the roof and wall. Last month, I sent about 2,000 poles of bamboo for the roof to them. Finished bamboo products are popular in the markets. We are selling bamboo just to maintain our business. Raw bamboo prices are rising because of growing fuel and transportation costs. The price of a bamboo pole has risen by MMK 30 or 40.”
Bamboo handicrafts.
Raw bamboo is produced from natural forests and the annual production target is set at 147 million bamboo poles but only about 127 million bamboo poles can be produced yearly. Bamboo is grown in the entire country. The prices of a pole of bamboo range between MMK 550 to 600 depending on their production sites and varieties, according to the bamboo products cooperative society.
Some people do not buy finished bamboo products but they attend bamboo handicraft training courses at the cooperative society for make bamboo products for themselves. The number of trainees is growing, according to the cooperative society.
