Indonesia to host congress, festival on bamboo next year

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will host the fourth international bamboo congress and festival in Bali next year, Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave says.

"U.S. Vice President Al Gore is expected to present a key-note address to congress, which will be attended by 150 bamboo scientists of the International Network of Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR)," he said here Monday.

INBAR, established by the International Bamboo Association (IBA), has 86 members from 35 countries.

Joop said the event, which will take place in Ubud on June 1-4 of next year, will also feature a trade exhibition, architecture competition, cultural shows and will be broadcast live, worldwide by satellite.

Congress participants will have opportunities to visit plants that process bamboo products, he said.

State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said Indonesia has a large number of bamboo species but it has not diversified the use of bamboo for daily lives.

Bamboo can be used for various purposes, such as stump fertilizing, production of handicrafts, construction and paper making. So far, bamboo in Indonesia is used only by small-scale industrial groups to produce chopsticks, handicrafts and toothpicks.

Sarwono said the protection of the environment will improve if Indonesia can encourage the use of natural resources for business purposes because businessmen will have a vested interest in maintaining their operations.

Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Aburizal Bakrie said that bamboo has bright prospects as one of major international commodities.

According to Linda Garland, president of the Environmental Bamboo Foundation World in Indonesia, the world's bamboo harvesting reached 20 million tons per annum.

She said someone needs between three and five years to recover their investment for a new bamboo plantation.(icn)