SIMUNJAN: Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) will develop bamboo seed nurseries in Bintulu, Lawas and Miri in the future.
Its General Manager, Datuk Hashim Bojet said, this is to ensure sufficient quality bamboo resources in Sarawak in an effort to develop the bamboo industry in the state.
He said, two bamboo nurseries have already been established in the state, namely the Sabal nursery in Simunjan and the Tanjung Manis nursery in Mukah.
According to him, the Sabal nursery can supply a total of 45,000 seeds per year for commercial and community needs in the Southern Region of Sarawak.
“The Tanjung Manis nursery can produce a total of 450,000 seeds per year and was established to meet the needs of commercial and community plantations in the Central Region of Sarawak,” he said.
He said for the nurseries in Bintulu and Lawas later, his side aims to produce an annual capacity of 10,000 bamboo seedlings.
“The Niah nursery in Miri with a production capacity of 150,000 seedlings will also be developed in the Northern Region,” he said.
He said this at a briefing session in conjunction with the media visit to the STIDC Bamboo Project at the Sabal Forest Landscape Restoration Center of the Sarawak Forest Department here, today.
According to Hashim, STIDC aims to produce a total of 1 million bamboo seedlings until 2030.
This is to ensure the supply of bamboo seeds can meet the needs of industry players in Sarawak, he said.
Media practitioners were also briefed on nursery operations and trial plots of bamboo plantations in the Sabal Forest Reserve by STIDC Bamboo Project Manager, Dr Jong Lip Khiong.
They also had the opportunity to see 17 types of bamboo including 400 clumps of bamboo planted in the Sabal Forest Reserve, located approximately 25 kilometers from the Sabal Forest Landscape Restoration Center.
