Abuja – Bamboo and rattan can be big foreign exchange earners for Nigeria, if well developed as a thriving industry in the forestry sub-sector of the economy.

Mr Muyideen Badru, an Assistant Director in the Department of Forestry, Federal Ministry of Environment, said this in Abuja on Thursday.

Badru said that the development of the bamboo and rattan industry could also assist the Federal Government in tackling environmental degradation, unemployment and poverty in the country.

“Bamboo and rattan are considered among the most significant non timber forest products in terms of their ecological impact and feasible economic profit and plays very important role among rural dwellers.

“They can earn foreign exchange for Nigeria, if sustainably developed as a thriving industry in the forestry sub-sector of the economy.”

The assistant director described bamboo as a good substitute for timber that could also contribute to forest conservation with numerous environmental benefits.

According to him, bamboo and rattan can grow in many parts of the country, especially in the Mangrove Forest and Savannah of the north central states respectively.

He further said that bamboo species could also be found in the ecological zones of the northern part of the country.

He decried the poor statistics on bamboo in the country, saying: “unlike Asian nations, most African countries have not accorded bamboo and rattan priority in their national development plans and policies.

Badru called for a reversal of the trend, stressing that the promotion of bamboo and rattan would assist Nigeria to achieve its economic goals and environmental sustainability as well as in meeting the MDGs. (NAN)