R&D NEEDS RELATED TO BAMBOO AND RATTAN SMALL ENTERPRISES

Bamboo and rattan form a very important source of livelihood for the rural folks, especially those who are at the bottom of the economic level. This is particularly true for large segments of the population in many Asian countries. In the last few decades, the accelerated rate of forest conversion and logging has led to a decimation of these resources, sometimes to the point of their disappearance. Despite their importance in the socio-economic and cultural contribution to the marginalised people, little effort has been given to manage these resources on a sustainable basis through proper harvesting, restocking, and artificial propagation. The lack of scientific knowledge of these resources, especially their technological properties and processing methods, has partly resulted in their desultory development. With more concerted efforts, backed by deeper scientific investigations, it would be possible for industries based on these underdeveloped resources to supersede the timber industry in several parts of the Asian region. There is considerable opportunity for further development in manufacturing furniture and laminated products and other novelty items. This paper presents a summary of some of the important research findings and the efforts needed in R&D, with particular reference to the small rattan and bamboo enterprises.

The most important non-timber forest resource in Malaysia (and also several Southeast Asian countries) is rattan, followed by bamboo. These two groups of plants have received attention (in terms of silvicultural management) by the scientific community around the region. The forests in this region have the greatest concentration of rattan in the world with 12 genera and about 600 species. In this respect, there is great potential for value added processing of rattan. Trade in rattan has been on the increase especially in the furniture industry.

Bamboo has often been termed the Poor Man's Timber or Friend. Bamboo has been harvested from natural stands for constructional purposes and other uses such as flooring, walls, frames, shingles, doors and in other components of the house. In modern living, bamboo is found as curtains, paneling, picture frames and in a host of other products. Bamboo shoots are eaten in many Asian countries. Management of this resource is important in order to sustain the productivity and the industry.

Past and present activities such as logging or conversion of forests to agriculture or other non-forest uses can permanently destroy these non-timber resources. Exploitation or harvesting of non-timber resources especially bamboo and rattan is seldom strictly managed or controlled. This is mainly due to the difficulty in enforcing regulations in the forest. This will in the long run result in total depletion of the resources. There is little available information on bamboo and rattan resources, especially on the technical aspects and practices related to their management and silviculture. Information on the available species and their distribution is also scanty. Hence, basic research must be undertaken to provide the much needed information so that these resources could be managed in a proper manner in order to sustain the related bamboo- and rattan-based industries.

The current and potential plant resources of the forests are many. They range from timber to other minor forest products such as rattans and bamboos. These minor forest products are being exploited depending on their locations and the people surrounding the forests. There are, however, no large scale organised efforts in their extractions compared to timber. The fast rate of disappearance of tropical vegetation underscores the need to study the forests in more detail, especially the potential of the forests as a major and sustainable source of raw material which in turn are an important source of employment and income for the people.

Rattans are spiny climbing plants belonging to the palm family. There are about 600 species in the world, of which 106 species are found in Peninsular Malaysia. Based on the third National Forest Inventory (1990-1993), the estimated rattan resource was about 825 million sticks (Note: each stick is 3 m length). If the data is true, then Peninsular Malaysia will face a shortage of raw material supply by the year 2020.

The planting of this resource, mainly that of Calamus manan, is conducted by the government and private sector. To date more than 31,000 ha have been planted. Out of this, 7,000 ha have been planted in rubber plantations throughout the country (Abd. Latif & Aminuddin 1996). Other large plantations in Sabah are planting mainly C. caesius and C. trachycoleus. So far more than 10,000 ha have been established. Other rattan species that have been looked into include C. scipionum and C. palustris.

Indonesia is one of the countries in the region rich in rattan, providing about 80% of world's rattan supply. Indonesia with about 300 rattan species, has about almost 50% of the known total number of rattan species worldwide. Most of the rattan supplied (90%) to the market are obtained from the primary forests. The rest comes from rural small holdings and plantations. There has never been an inventory of rattan resources for the country but the natural rattan resources are fast dwindling.

Bamboo is next to rattan in terms of economic importance especially in Malaysia. It is one of the non-wood resources found growing wild in the forests. Many Asian countries have a long tradition in the use of bamboo for the manufacture of a wide variety of products such as blinds, chopsticks, mats and baskets, farming implements etc. Other uses include scaffolding, houses and bridges. In some countries like India, bamboo is one of the important raw materials for pulp and paper making. In Malaysia, bamboo has not been utilized as extensively and its use is limited to the production of poultry cages, vegetable baskets, utensil products etc. In Asia, there are 320 species (Liese 1985). Fifty species are known to be found in Peninsular Malaysia but only 13 species are being utilized commercially (Aminuddin & Abd. Latif 1994).

Bamboo usually occurs in significant quantities in disturbed areas such as logged-over forests, wastelands or in marginal localities fringing the forest. Kamaruzaman (1992) estimated that about 587 million pieces of approximately 3.3 million tonnes standing stock were available from the forest. Lockman et al. (1994), on the other hand, estimated that more than 110 million culms were available in about 420,000 ha of forest reserve in Peninsular Malaysia. No reports on East Malaysia (i.e. Sabah and Sarawak) are available for the general consensus. More comprehensive information on this resource especially with respect to the pattern and distribution of commercial and less commercial bamboo species is therefore needed to foster the infrastructural development of the industries.

At present, the most important non-wood forest resource that is being harvested heavily is rattan, followed by bamboo. In countries where bamboo is more prominent such as India and Bangladesh, it is the other way round. Nevertheless, these resources are being depleted and steps are being taken by the respective government agencies of countries in the region to plant them on a large scale. In this section, utilization of these important resources is discussed with reference to Peninsular Malaysia.

The rattan furniture industry for Peninsular Malaysia is quite dynamic. There are about 700 rattan mills and 525 are engaged in manufacturing activities, with about 13% of the latter being export oriented. The rest are mainly cottage and small-scale industries. The rattan industry requires about 12 million 3m-length sticks of the elite cane Calamus manan, and 45 million 6m-length sticks of the small diameter cane C. caesius, annually. Shortages of these high-quality canes are being felt. Other canes of lesser quality are also being used by the industry. While the widely dispersed rattan processing mills tend to be concentrated in the state having large forest areas where rattans are commonly found, the manufacturing industry is predominantly located in the west coast areas where large market and basic amenities are readily available (Abd. Latif 1997).

Peninsular Malaysia has an abundant supply of raw rattan. The total gross value collected could amount to over RM 5 million a month. The value can increase to more than 21-25 times if the manufacturers concentrate on downstream processing as in furniture or semi-processed products such as ropes and binds which are traditionally imported from Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia or Taiwan (Abd. Latif 1989). Since the ban on the export of raw rattan and the imposition of high import duty for the semi-processed products in 1989, a shift from the traditional practice of exporting the raw and semi-processed products to more value-added finished products has increased the foreign exchange earnings as well as the employment opportunities in the rural urban sectors.

As reported by Abdul Razak and Abd. Latif (1997), there are 1,032 bamboo-based mills of various sizes in Peninsular Malaysia but only 104 have appropriate machines producing products such as skewers, chopsticks and toothpicks (32 mills), furniture (2 mills) and craft (70 mills). While these 104 mills are categorised as medium- and large-scale, the remaining 928 mills are classified as cottage and small-scale enterprises. Although the bamboo industry in Peninsular Malaysia began in the 1950's, activities were confined to traditional handicrafts, while the machine intensive industry was introduced only in the last decade.

Cottage industries making handicraft items are mainly found in the west coast states of Peninsular Malaysia, whereas industries making poultry cages and vegetables baskets tend to concentrate around vegetable plantations around Tapah in Perak . The local market for bamboo products is worth about USD 3 million annually (Aminuddin & Abd. Latif 1994). Lately, there has been an increased utilisation of bamboo by industries. This could probably be attributed to the increasing level of difficulties in gaining commonly used timbers from the forest, hygienic concerns especially for cheap disposable items used in contact with food; and the awareness to sustain the healthy surrounding green environment within the society. The popularisation of the fact that bamboo is an environment friendly material (fast growing, high yielding renewable resource and a secondary forested species) has also resulted in the spring-back of bamboo industries (especially those machine-intensive) from its seven static years in 1988 to 1995. The domestic demands for machine-intensive products such as skewers and single chopsticks, for example, have considerably increased to about USD 5 million in 1996 onward compared to the average of USD 3 million per annum within those static years (Abd. Latif 1989, Abd. Latif & Abd. Razak 1994, Abd. Latif & Abd. Razak 1998).

In order not to rely so much on the supply from the wild, large scale planting of rattan is deemed necessary. This is supported by the fact that for Calamus manan, Peninsular Malaysia required about nine million 3 m length sticks per annum and this requires planting in about 5000 ha per annum. For other commercial species, planting is also needed in order to supplement its requirement as an alternative material for the highly sought after species. If such activities are not carried out, the supply in the near future will be difficult. Planting can be either in the logged-over forest areas or in rubber plantations. Assistance can be provided by the government to provide incentives in other aspects of the plantation management.

In countries where the demand for bamboo is large, silviculture management of the species already exists. This is practically so in countries like China and Taiwan where monopodial bamboo is dominant. In Peninsular Malaysia where most of the bamboos are sympodial (clump-forming type or so-called pachymorph) and wild, management of the natural stand on a plantation basis must be conducted in order to ensure a continuous supply of the raw material for the industry. It is understood that for Gigantochloa scortechinii (the most sought after bamboo species in the country) which is abundantly found in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, about 12 - 15 culms (of age classes less or equal to three years old) per clump should be left behind and the harvesting should be systematically practiced. The optimal number of clumps per hectare should also be maintained between 220 - 250 clumps (Abd. Latif & Abd. Razak 1994).

Rattan has the potential for industrial development especially in the form of finished products (Abd. Latif 1991). Concerted efforts, however, must first be spearheaded towards overcoming immediate problems encountered by the industry such as the inadequate supply of skilled and trained workers, unavailability of original contemporary designs, technological improvements, know-how such as low-cost automation and mechanisation, lack of quality control and insufficient operational capital. Aside from giving incentives such as soft loan and sales tax reduction, establishment of an information and service centre for better marketing strategies, business opportunities and design trends should also be given immediate attention. The establishment of village industries or service centres at district level focusing on the economic support of complementary activities will highly benefit many traditional entrepreneurs as these could also serve as training centres for new entrepreneurs to learn basic production techniques. With government support to develop the industry, there is no reason why it should not succeed. With careful planning and cooperation among the industrialists and government agencies, rattan entrepreneurship should continue to develop and the industry will eventually become competitive with those from the rest of the exporting countries.

There are several problems that need immediate attention if the bamboo industry is to be developed further. The misconception that bamboos are pests or weeds interfering with the growing timber and regeneration of trees or free goods of nature has to be redefined. Bamboo plantations should be established to ensure a continuous supply of high quality raw material and at the same time explore the possibility of producing bamboo shoots and commercialising them. Commercially utilisable bamboo species grow mainly in northern Peninsular Malaysia, in logged-over forest, and on river banks and hillsides. The large areas of bamboo forest within this region need to be designated as bamboo estates, and leased out to private sector agencies to manage on a sustained yield basis. With intensive and careful management, these natural bamboo resources can be gradually converted to equivalent plantation stands. With proper silviculture treatment and harvesting practice, sustainability of bamboo supply can be ensured.

A reliable estimate of the total bamboo areas and production especially the magnitude of useful bamboo species available within the country (especially Sabah and Sarawak of East Malaysia) should be carried out thoroughly in order to facilitate planning for the development of the industries. Only with a continuous and regular supply of the raw material would the industry be able to develop properly. To a certain degree, drastic steps should also be taken to revise the current institutional systems and procedures pertaining to bamboo resources. This also means that the current policy of issuing permit for bamboo extraction should be retailored to include the provision for the licensees in managing the natural bamboo stands within the given area.

More attention should be devoted towards establishing training cum production centres. In such centres, aside from ensuring all the facilities available via government fund remain intact and in good condition, the maintenance of machines used on a rental basis could easily be handled by the selected industrialists.

In view of foreign skilled workers, an incentive for lower levy should be introduced. This is particularly important with the current serious shortage of workers in the plantation and industrial sectors within the country. Aside obtaining various knowledge on manual artistic skill work from foreign sources to be delivered to the interested local work-force, more diversified value-added products integrated from different cultures could also be expected.

Information on the technological properties of Malaysian bamboos particularly in relation to their industrial application should also be expanded. Since many bamboo species remain unutilized, research effort is needed to determine the properties of such species and develop their appropriate utilization technology. Emphasis should also be given to encourage the indigenous fabrication of machines designed to process local species not only to achieve a higher recovery rate but also to bring down the cost of imported machinery. There is also a need to form a team of industrial product designers to produce new and attractive designs (either in combination with other materials such as plastic, metal or less popular cultivated woody species) which can help maintain and upgrade the products without sacrificing their original identity as well as to sustain the interest of the buyers. Furthermore, to extend the utilization of bamboo, consideration should be given to promote or upgrade the existing research and development institutions assisting the small-scale bamboo industries.

Another aspect that could help improve the industry is by reducing wastage in its processing. The wastage (28 - 47%) generated by the industry is very high. If the industry cannot avoid the high labour and other material costs, the waste generated should be reduced by utilizing the waste for other products such as pulp and paper; flooring and advance materials (for instance the particle and thermoplastic fibre board) which could greatly increase the profit margin (Abd. Latif et al. 1988, Abd. Latif & Liese 1995).

To enhance the importance of the bamboo and rattan resources to the economy and improve the utilization and production related to small enterprises, an intensified research and development programme should be initiated and expanded.

There has been no serious attempt to quantify the bamboo and rattan resources of any country, apart from that by Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia in their National Forest Inventory done every 10 years. The National Forest Inventory in 1981-82 and 1990-1993 indicated that clusters of commercial rattan species appear to be located in the northwest of peninsular Malaysia. In the south, there seems to be less canes available in the forest probably due to over-exploitation. The report by Abd. Latif and Shukri (1989) further revealed that rattan processing mills are concentrated in states having bigger forest areas and better infrastructural facilities, in the west coast. Stocks of rattan species harvested and the amounts of rattan required by the industry are reported by Tan (1989) and Abd. Latif et al. (1990) respectively.

There has been no attempt to quantify the bamboo resource using the data available from the inventory. The only serious attempt was done for the state of Kedah where there are about 179 tonnes and 185,000 tonnes of air-dried bamboo of Gigantochloa spp. (betong or big diameter type) and of other bamboo species (non-betong or smaller diameter bamboo), respectively.

It is imperative to cultivate rattan to sustain the depleting resource. The growth rate of the popular rattan species need to be monitored and research should be intensified on the performance of important exotic species under different topographical and climatic condition. The feasibility of planting or intercropping commercial species especially C. manan (manau) under rubber and forest plantations, as such for instance, should also be established further.

Since propagation of bamboo using seeds is not practical due to its rare flowering and fruiting, vegetative propagation method using culm cutting of selected commercially exploited species need to be initiated. The growth and yield of these species using rhizome offsets on degraded soil, and the response of bamboo regeneration to harvesting intensities and fertilizer application should also be documented.

The usage of bamboo and rattan resources has long been exploited traditionally. However, further research on the utilization of waste derived from the processing and manufacturing processes for furniture, parquetries, panel, acoustical and panels is still required which also involves studies on their physical, mechanical and anatomical characteristics. Determining the suitable harvesting age of bamboo and rattan, and its relationship with the anatomical, chemical, physical, mechanical, and processing properties should also be given priority. These data are important as they help the harvester in selecting suitable material for various intended usage.

Analysis on the chemical composition particularly the starch and total sugar contents, and its relationship with fungal and insect attack need to be carried out as well as the effect of bleaching on the mechanical properties and colour quality of bamboo and bamboo products, and the absorption and retention characteristics of the materials in order to promote their life services (Abd. Latif et al. 1989). Effective methods in treating rattan and bamboo poles especially by traditional means would certainly minimize the total expenditure if commercially used.

While some bamboos are commercially utilised, there is still an abundance of other species left unexploited. The use of less popular species of bamboo for furniture, machine intensive products, charcoal and laminated items and lesser known rattan species for semi-processed products such as cores, ropes and binds will surely be beneficial to local industrialists. Guidelines on selection, preparation and factors related to rattan products quality as well as mechanised gadgetories to be used will definitely be appreciated by the small enterprises.

The research priorities in upgrading the related enterprises can be summarised as follows:

Bamboo and rattan are two of the most important non-wood forest products. While bamboo is still abundant in the wild, rattan is fast depleting. Thus, the research focus on bamboo is in the management of natural stands while that on rattan is in renewal techniques. The need for technology for small enterprises is urgent and it is hoped that concerted cooperation in the region can expedite the development of research and technology.

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