This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
Bamboo Farming: A Lucrative Business Opportunity in Kenya ¶
Kenya Forestry Research Institute (Kefri) has been at the forefront of promoting bamboo farming in the country, and the results are impressive. Mr. Boniface Soli, a 55-year-old farmer, has been working at Kefri for over 26 years and has seen the potential of bamboo farming firsthand.
According to Soli, a harvest of bamboo can bring in millions of shillings. 'A harvest can bring in millions of shillings. For instance, we sell one bamboo stick at Sh40 and in a month we can have orders for about 200,000 pieces. This means that we can make about Sh8 million that month,' he says.
Mr. Soli adds that bamboo seedlings cost Sh200 and are in high demand. 'We plant them in greenhouses, and in less than six months, you can start cutting bamboo sticks for sale. In about four years, the trees have matured for harvest.'
Bamboo has numerous uses, including construction, making charcoal, pulp, boards, cloth, furniture, food, fuel, medicine, utensils, matchsticks, toothpicks, and crafts. In construction, bamboo can be used to build most sections of a house, and as flooring, it provides a more flexible, smooth, bright, and stable alternative to wood.
Mr. George Migom, who works at Kefri's Karura workshop, says that they sell two varieties of products - laminated and culm products. Culm products refer to unprocessed bamboo, which makes items such as seats and beds. 'A two-seater couch made with culm bamboo retails at Sh8,000, with a one seater being sold at about Sh6,000,' he says.
Mr. Gordon Sigu, a senior scientist and bamboo expert at Kefri, says that the most prevalent bamboo species in the country is the alpine bamboo, which occurs naturally in the highland ranges and mountains of Eastern Africa. 'Before planting bamboo cuttings, the seedlings are raised in a nursery for six months,' he says.
Mr. Juvenales Njuguna, a successful bamboo farmer, has amassed a fortune from the business. He sells bamboo poles at Sh400, bamboo mini-clumps at Sh500, seedlings at Sh200, bamboo plantlets at Sh50, and bamboo sticks at Sh35. 'On one acre, you can plant between 160 and 240 seedlings, depending on the space you leave on the edges,' he says.
Bamboo farming has the potential to turn farmers into millionaires in Kenya, and with the right knowledge and resources, anyone can start this lucrative business.
