DILI, 16 august, 2021 (TATOLI)- Ai ba Futuru hands over new machines to the Bamboo Institute to increases production capacity.
The machines were delivered from the manufacturer abroad to Timor-Leste between May and July 2021 with a total amount of around $USD 169.000. Afterward, the new machines were installed at the Bamboo Institute in Tibar, and the staff was trained on how to operate them.
The General Director for Coffee and Industrial Plants (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF)), Mr. Raimundo Mau said This is a huge investment allocated to promote the bamboo industry in
Timor-Leste.
“There is a strategy of the government to ensure its return within years through the Bamboo Institute. The need for raw material will motivate many households in rural areas to grow more bamboo and maintain their bamboo plantation while reducing the exploitation of natural resources as bamboo has a strong role in conserving soil and helping absorbed rainwater enter the
ground,” Said Raimundo Mau.
Mau said The government, through the National Directorate of Forestry and Watershed Management, is producing around 10-12 thousand bamboo seedlings every year to support the communities in growing selective bamboo species in their field.
The Ambassador of the European Union to Timor-Leste, Andrew Jacobs said that “the European Union is proud to fund the AibaFuturu project, which also supports the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries’ efforts to foster a conducive legal and regulatory environment for agroforestry and associated value chains.
“The machines are part of a larger support that the project provides to the Bamboo Institute,” said
It is recalled that in August 2019, GIZ signed a financing agreement with the Bamboo Institute and with the assistance of Ai ba Futuru, in September 2020, for four bamboo pre-processing centers.
Likewise, the Ai ba Futuru project also accompanying bamboo nurseries that have been established in Manatuto, Baucau, Viqueque, and Lautem.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia Borges Rosario
