PADANG TERAP, March 16 (Bernama) — Bamboo cultivation is currently being encouraged in Kedah as an alternative source of income, especially for rubber tappers faced with the plummeting rubber price.
State Science, Innovation and Information Technology, Communications, High Technology and Human Resources Committee chairman, Datuk Norsabrina Mohd Noor, said the simplest way to earn from a beautiful and well-kept bamboo farm was making the farm as a location for weddings or other photography shootings.
She said bamboo farms make beautiful backgrounds for photography shots and could be an alternative source of income for the Kedah population.
“In Kedah, we have a fine example of a bamboo plantation in Kampung Pauh, in Pedu district which is located amidst beautiful surroundings and the scene can be mistaken for a foreign land,” she told Bernama after visiting the bamboo plantation here.
Norsabrina said beginning this year two locations in Kedah, namely Pedu in Padang Terap and Bukit Wang in Kubang Pasu, would serve as the primary location for bamboo industry and bamboo valley.
“If we plant rubber it takes seven years to be able to tap the trees but planting bamboo takes a short time and several commercial products can be produced including furniture and handicrafts which are always in high demand,” she said.
She said the state government would also hold workshops for entrepreneurs interested in venturing into bamboo cultivation and industry, apart from conducting more studies and research on bamboo.
— BERNAMA
