If you’re thinking of starting a commercial bamboo wood growing project, check out our Bambu Business Plan Sample Checklists.
Bamboo is an important source of income for millions of people around the world. It can also be used as a building material. In addition, bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants. It grows very quickly, reaching heights of 10 meters within just three months.
The plant is commercially grown in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, etc.
It is basically a perennial, flowering shrub. Internodes (the parts between nodes) are usually hollow.
Bamboos grow quickly because they use a unique rhizomatous (rhizomes) dependent system. Some of the main producing countries include India, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. In India, some important producing regions are Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.
Is Bamboo Farming Profitable
First of all, bamboo shoots are a type of edible vegetable. They’re used for making various kinds of dishes such as soups and curries in Asia.
Bamboo is a great alternative to wooden products. It can be used for building materials, craft projects, and household items. Artists make various types of artwork with bamboo. They include jewelry, home décor items, utensils, and furnishings.
Bamboo plants are not just used for their aesthetic value; they’re also used as ornate plants in interior design.
Different Regional Names of Bamboo
The plant is known by various regional names. Here are some examples:
- Bamboo is English
- Banas in Hindi
- Venture in Telegu
- Moong in Tamil
- Mulankoombu in Malayalam
- Kalkipan in Marathi
- Bhajans in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati,
Things To Consider in Bamboo Farming Business
First of all, you need to plant it for at least 6 years before you get any income from it. Therefore, you need to prepare yourself for that.
Soil conditions play an important role in commercial agriculture. If you haven’t yet purchased land, check the soil first.
To create a successful website, you should start planning early. Before starting your project, make sure you have a clear idea about what you want to achieve. Write down everything you think might help you reach your goal. Then, take each step one by one. Make sure to include every detail needed to complete your task.
Plant health requires planning and preparation. You need to think through potential pest and disease issues before they arise.
Best Varieties For Commercial Bamboo Farming
You need to select the right variety for the type of soil, weather, and purpose of use.
There are several types of bamboo available. But, not all of them are commercially viable. Some of these include Bambusa Nutans (Bamboo), Bambusa Balcoo, Bamboosa Bamboos, Bambusa Tula, Thyrostachys Oliveri, Ochlandra Travancore, Schizostachyums Dulloo, etc.
Location & Agroclimatic Condition for Bamboo Farming
Bamboo is an evergreen grassy shrub native to tropical Asia. It grows rapidly and produces shoots every year. In addition to being used as a building material, bamboo can also be used as food. It contains high levels of protein and vitamins A and C. Moreover, bamboo is rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and copper. It is also capable of absorbing nitrogen from the air, thus contributing to soil fertility.
The optimum temperature ranges between 20 to 40 degrees Celsius, and the best place for planting bamboo is in flat lands. Rain should fall below 2 meters per year, and the ideal altitude for growing bamboo is between 500 and 2000 meters above sea level.
Bamboo can grow in soils with low levels of nutrients, so if the soil is rich enough, it does not require fertilizer. However, if the soil is deficient in nitrogen, then fertilizers must be applied. The roots of bamboo spread out horizontally, so they do not need much space to grow. Therefore, bamboo can easily be grown in small spaces.
9 Basic Cultivation Steps in Bamboo Farming
1. Propagation
Bamboo propagates by means of stems, stalks, and roots.
If you don’t have access to seeds or seedlings, you can propagate bamboo by taking out the rhizomes from the previous year’s culms. Alternatively, you could consider using a small portion of the culms from the previous year and the rhizomes.
Rhizomes grow from their roots, so they’re usually successful at establishing themselves.
Vegetatively propagated plants are often grown from seedlings rather than directly from seeds. They are usually produced by cutting off pieces of stems or roots, which are then planted into soil and allowed to grow for several weeks before they are transplanted into pots.
Tissue cultures require training and specialized facilities for growing plants. They’re not easy to maintain.
2. Planting
The best time for plantings is during the pre-rain showers. Actually, this method works successfully and needs less water. Basically, the plantations don’t require much attention except adequate moisture to avoid drying out in summer. However, one can anticipate the death of crops in extremely hard locations.
3. Inter Cropping
It takes five years for bamboo plantations to mature into productive forests. During the first three of these five-year periods, it is possible to grow profitable crops such as turmeric, chili peppers, and so forth.
4. Flowering
Most bamboo flowers only once in their lifetimes and then they die shortly afterward. Basically, it is an enigma to scientists. The flowering period generally varies from seven to 120 years and in some cases, at three-year intervals. Some bamboo species, such as (Bambusa vulgaris), have never been seen to flower. Furthermore, B. nations have the longest flowering period of 120 years. Therefore, it is an excellent choice for commercial plantations.
5. Manuring
During transplanting, fertilizing plants is most important. Plants require nutrients for their survival. If there aren’t enough nutrients available, they won’t grow properly.
Basically, you can fertilize your plants at any time during the season. However, it is best to apply fertilizer after harvesting and before irrigating. It should be noted, however, that rhizomes continue being active (grow) throughout the entire winter unless temperatures drop below freezing.
Therefore, it is best to spread small amounts of fertilizer throughout the entire season rather than just two large applications. Bamboo responds well to nitrogen and potash which are found in organic matter such as grass cuttings, green manures, sawdust, and chemical fertilizers. Lime also helps to neutralize acidic soils.
6. Irrigation
Watering during the first season of planting increases plant survivability. It also increases plant production. Natural water conservation techniques like ditching or crescent-shaped trenching and using mulch improve water conservation.
7. Weed Control
Clear-cutting weeds at the beginning of the growing season is very important for the quick establishment and fast development of the clumps. After the rainy season, you need to cut down weeds according to the site conditions and the number of weeds present in the field.
Bamboo needs at least an area of 60 centimeters (about 2 feet) around the base of the plant for proper growth. If you want to keep the bamboo free from weed competition, you need to remove any weedy growth within 60 centimeters (about two feet) of the base of the plant.
8. Plant Protection
You must keep the planting area protected for at least the first two growing seasons. If necessary, fencing off the area with protection against rodents, pigs, and goats might be required in some regions.
Bamboos are robust plants and they don’t suffer from any serious disease issues. However, there are some diseases that affect bamboo. These include the rotting of emerging and growing culm, which causes economic losses; and the infection of bamboo by fungi, which causes the loss of their leaves and stems.
9. Harvesting & Yield
The annual yields in tonnes/hectare depending on the environmental conditions as well as the type of crop. They range between 3-4 tonnes/hectare in the understory of forests and 5-12 tonnes/hectare from plantations. In the dryer areas, well-managed and technological D. strict us plantations can produce up to 10 tonnes/hectare. But well-managed monoculture bamboo plantations in China can produce up to 50 tonnes/hectare per year.
Culms are harvested between 3–5 years old. They are cut by hand using sharpened wooden sticks called “skewers”. A variety of tools are used including saws, axes, and machetes. In some cases, they may also be pulled out by hand.
How To Produce Bamboo Shoot
The BAMBOOSHA BALCO industry has great domestic and international potential. Large potential exporting markets exist for shoots in Japan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand. The International Network for Bamboos and Rattans (INBAR), has selected six species that are most suitable for developing the BAMBOOSHA industry in India. These species include Bamboosa balcony, Dendrochilus Gigantes, D. Hamilton, D. strict, and Melocanna Bambu sides.
Bambusa vulgaris (Chinese) and Dendrocalamus lactiferous (Thai) are the two most important species used for producing shoots.
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