Nepal is holding its first ‘National Bamboo Exhibition’ in Diktel, Khotang, a landmark event that promises to highlight the potential of bamboo in Nepal’s economy. Scheduled for Falgun 15-17, 2081 (February 27 – March 1, 2025), this event will bring together stakeholders from across the bamboo value chain, including farmers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, researchers, and investors.
Earlier, the event was planned for the month of Kartik, but later postponed due to the natural disasters occuring at that time.
Nepal has an estimated 63,000 ha (hectares) of bamboo forests, which is around 4.6% of the country’s total area. The Forest Research and Training Center (FRTC) estimates around 53 species of tropical and temperate species with native and introduced origins growing across the major ecological region of the country.
To connect with the local community and prepare for the conference, various activities will be organized at the municipal level, including bamboo-related essay competitions among students, handicraft competitions, and exhibitions.
Additionally, the Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi Municipality has initiated a campaign promoting the use of locally sourced bamboo for everyday items like chairs. Recognizing bamboo’s cultural significance and abundance in Nepal, the municipality aims to boost local production, generate income, and create employment opportunities by utilizing this resource.
To promote the use of bamboo furniture, the municipality has decided to replace the old chairs in all 14 wards of the municipality with new chairs made of bamboo.
The municipality has already completed a few planned activities relating to the promotion of bamboo. For instance, fifteen skilled bamboo craft artisans from the municipality were selected and tasked with making chairs.
The focus on bamboo and its products come at a time when the government is making efforts in prioritising locally produced products. For instance, it recently introduced a policy to utilise locally sourced and manufactured products at government offices even if they are 20% more costlier than imported products.
As a part of the campaign, the municipality is all set to gift the locally made bamboo chairs to the country’s President, Prime minister, Chief Justice, Speaker of the House of Representative and President at the National Assembly.
The campaign is expected to promote the development of small-scale cottage industries at the local level along with addressing outbound migration problems by creating employment opportunities within the country.
You can participate in the exhibition by completing the online registration form the link below: https://www.n-gene.org/bamboo-conference
