By Sarah Munthali

Lilongwe, February 20, MANA: Minister of Natural Resources and Climate change Michael Usi has called on officials and stakeholders in the energy sector to raise more awareness messages for the people to grow and use bamboos as an alternative source of energy.

The minister made the call in Lilongwe on Monday, when he opened an awareness workshop on bamboo and rattan growing for researchers, forestry officials and organisations in the energy sector.

He said bamboo use is important but there is need to come up with good communication strategy which would make people believe that using bamboo as source of energy is ideal.

“Bamboos are alternative source of energy for cooking and could help save forests which are lost due to over dependence on firewood by most communities.

There is need to convince people to use bamboos because many people believe bamboos burn to ashes quickly,” he said.

Usi said his ministry is promoting forest restoration and rehabilitation to improve the country’s green economy.

“This can only be achieved through concerted efforts if we promoted growing of fast regenerating plant species with capacity to give enough biomass for ecological and socio-economic needs of the country, bamboos provide that opportunity,

Value addition,  this should target development of high quality bamboo products for both local and international markets. This can create many jobs,” added the Minister.

The minister said until recently, bamboo, the fastest growing plant in the world has been ignored in Malawi saying the plant has been over exploited over the years.

He then said there is need to strengthen policy frameworks and develop bamboo resource monitoring methodologies to be developed including support to bamboo research and species screening.

National bamboo focal point Senior Forestry research officer for  Forestry Institute of Malawi (FRIM) said bamboos have immense benefits such as economic, social and ecologically.

“When you promote bamboo it means you are improving livelihoods of the general household, Bamboo is a renewable resource, it renews faster than a tree, if you plant a seedling of a bamboo you get more than three hundred plants in its life time. You benefit more by planting bamboos than trees,” he said.

The workshop was organised with funding from the International Bamboo and Ra ttan Association (INBAR) an intergovernmental development organisation that promotes environmentally sustainable development using bamboo and rattan.

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