Document(s) 3 of 18

Introduction 

With the support of IDRC and the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), scientists at the Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute (IPIRTI) have developed a cost-effective way of making plywood-like boards from bamboo mats woven by low income, rural women. The mats are coated with glue and hot-pressed to produce the mat boards, which can then be used to build houses, packing cases, storage bins and carts, among other things. 

This new industry has helped revive traditional mat weaving in tribal areas and raised women's incomes. Moreover, it has reduced the pressure on shrinking tropical forests by replacing wood with faster-growing bamboo, which regenerates in four to five years. 

The idea ofmaking bamboo mat boards (BMB) first arose in 1963, but it did not evolve commercially for a variety of reasons, including a sophisticated production process, high production costs, non-uniform bonding, and the unseemly appearance of the final productdueto the build-up of glue. 

From a development perspective, however, the technology promised to generate rural employment, enhance community development, and save depleted forest resources. This potential encouraged IDRC and INBAR to explore ways of making the technology commercially viable (see Supplemental information below) 

Impact 

• Factories expanding - Eight factories in India have adopted the bamboo mat board technology and are now producing and marketing the product, mainly for domestic consumption. Some of these factories, which are also major plywood manufacturers, are exploring the possibility of exporting the boards to other countries. 
• Mat weaving reviving - Bamboo mat board production has revived mat weaving in the tribal areas of India, generating more than 2.5 million days of work annually based on the current production ofmat boards. In India alone,this industry has the potential to generate 16.7 million days of work each year. 
• Growing demand - This demand has nearly tripled their market price, from 17 rupees for one mat in 1992 to 55 rupeestoday, increasing the incomes for the families of women engaged in full- or part-time weaving. 
• Forest land conserved - In India alone, 8000 hectares of natural forest could be saved each year if just one-quarter of the country's annual plywood production (800000 sq. metres) was replaced by bamboo mat board. This, in turn, would generate an estimated 66 million workdays for mat weavers. 
• Technology transfer to other Asian countries - At an international workshop in 1994 organized byINBAR, seven other Asian countries were introduced to the technology. After training, participants from Bangladesh, China, India, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam received a video and course materials to help spread the word about thistechnology in their home countries. Since then, China, Vietnam, and Thailand have also started industrial-scale manufacture of bamboo mat boards. As the production of these boards increases, both environmental benefits and employment will continue togrow. 

Prerequisites 

Uses 

Bamboo mat boards are an ideal substitute for thin plywood, which is expensive because prime quality logs are increasingly scarce and priced very high. 

Cost 

Future outlook 

IPIRTI is carrying out a number of research efforts aimed at refining BMB production and the final product. This includes efforts to: refine the glue and glue applicator; explore options for reducing the cost of glue; develop bamboo mat wood veneer suitable for structural uses; develop composition boards based on other plant or wood materials in combination with bamboo mats for various applications; determine, through amarket survey, the bamboo mat boardcharacteristics necessary for various applications. 

IDRC hopes to transfer this technology to the National Development Research Council (NDRC), an Indian government enterprise that has a broad scope for disseminating and commercializing thetechnology. 

Contact 

Director 
Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute (IPIRTI) 
P.B. 2273 
Tumkur Road 
Bangalore, INDIA 560 022 
Tel: 91-80-8394341 
Fax: 91-80-8396361 

Firms producing bamboo mat boards in India (as of February 1997): 

Cosmicraft Industries 
Dhanketi 
Shillong-793001 
Meghalaya, INDIA 
Tel: 91-364-22-4837/4074/7917 
Fax: 91-364-224180 

M/s. H.M. Agro (India) Pvt. Ltd. 
#19, 2^nd Floor, Jasmine Mansion 
J.C. Road, Bangalore, 560 002, INDIA 
Tel: 91-80-224-1632 
Fax: 91-80-2242168 
(Factory: Kunigal Industrial Area, Kunigal, Tumkur District, Karnataka) 

M/s Meghalaya Plywood Ltd. 
Bawri Mansions 
Dhankheti 
Shillong-793 001 
Meghalaya,INDIA 
(Factory: Byrnihat, G.S. Road, near Guwahati) 

M/s. Andamans Timber Industries Ltd. 
Circular Court, 7^th Floor 
Acharya J.C. Bose Road 
Calcutta -700 017 INDIA 
(Factory: Bamboo Flat, Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands) 

M/s. Woodcrafts Assam 
P.O. Mariani 
Upper Assam, INDIA 

M/s. Gram Vikas 
Mohuda Post 
Via: Berhampur - 760 002 
Orissa, INDIA 

M/s. Kerala State Bamboo Corporation Ltd. 
Bamboo Board Factory 
P.B. No. 19 
Angamally - 683 572 
Kerala, INDIA 

M/s. Mangalam Wood Industries Pvt. Ltd. 
Thangal Bazaar 
Imphal - 795-001 
Manipur, INDIA 

M/s. TATVA Bamboo Board Project 
Awerahalli Gate 
Kailancha Hobli 
Ramanagaram - 571 511, 
Karnataka, INDIA 

M/s. Super Natural Ply (P) Ltd. (under construction) 
Office: c/o Pramod Mullewar 
Bajaj Ward 
Chandrapur - 442 402 INDIA 
Tel: 20558 and 24016 
(Factory: Chamorshi - Markanda Road, Tah, Chamorshi, Dist. Gadchiroli) 

Resources 

Supplemental Information 

Document(s) 3 of 18