Vihiga, Kenya: Vihiga County is set to invest Sh10 million in a bamboo research centre to sensitise residents on the importance of the plant and help increase its acreage in Western Kenya.
The research centre is a precursor to a bamboo factory that will come after farmers are able to produce enough bamboo to keep it going.
The County Deputy Governor Caleb Amaswache, who led a delegation from Vihiga, Busia, Nyamira, Kisii, Turkana and Baringo counties for a two-week conference on bamboo cultivation in China, said the importance of the plant exceeds the focus it has been given in the country.
“The county is going to invest in a research centre which will link up with the newly established Kaimosi Friends University College and Masinde Muliro University to provide expert advice to farmers willing to venture into the crop’s farming,” said Mr Amaswache.
He said they had sought goodwill from Chinese bamboo companies who were willing to come in and help to establish the centre.
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The county wants to invest in bamboo to populate deforested areas like the rocky Maragoli Hills and to encourage households to plant them in their homes.
Amaswache also said that bamboo plants are better in conserving the environment and help in producing clean water when planted near water sources.
He noted that sugar factories in the region are losing money because farmers are not advised on which cane species is most suitable for planting and which takes the shortest time to mature.
Closed down
“The universities around are not helping farmers to come up with appropriate mechanisms to boost their produce unlike in China where bamboo farmers have a strong relationship with universities. After offering classroom lessons, the universities here do not do anything else. That is why the county wants to set up a research centre for bamboo plants,” he said.
He pointed out that factories like PanPaper closed down because production was expensive and partly because farmers could not reach the production threshold required.
He said the centre will be used mainly to research a bamboo species that can grow upright as most of the bamboo found in the region bends as it matures.
“We want to start by sensitising farmers in the county and beyond so that all hills will be covered with bamboo which will be used in the factory that we are going to set up,” he said.
