Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Floyd Green, says discussions are now ongoing around the possibility of designating bamboo as an agricultural crop.
The move, wh
How Jamaica Is Rebuilding Its Economy Using Sustainable Bamboo forbes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from forbes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Jamaica is well on its way to operating the
first and only dedicated Bamboo Market Pulp Mill in the Western Hemisphere, according to Bamboo Bioproducts Ltd (BBP).
The Group has advanced their investment in local bamboo with plans to build on lands in Frome, Westmoreland and will focus on pulp for paper production.
Currently, Asian manufacturers are the primary producers in the US$24 billion global bamboo market which fuels a variety of industries including paper manufacturing, agriculture, health and wellness, construction, textiles, and furniture among others. Jamaica’s proximity to western markets as well as its deep history in sugar cane production, (which has strong similarities to growing bamboo), means that BBP’s Frome facility offers game-changing national economic development opportunities. BBP anticipates that 500 jobs will be created directly within the facility and up to 5,000 jobs indirectly. The company has conservative projections of generating US$