If you have ever driven past bamboo growing wild in Jamaica, you may very well be driving by an opportunity to make money from the wild grass.

With several acres of family land in St Catherine, Robert Rainford noticed that the bamboo sticks used in the cultivation of yam would grow wild when left unattended. And so he decided to clear the land of this nuisance and start farming crops including ackee, pepper, plantain, yellow yam, coconut, and banana.

In the middle of this venture he was introduced to the various product possibilities from bamboo by the focal point of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) at Bureau of Standards – Jamaica (BSJ), Gladstone Rose.

Investigations into the possibility of earning from this “wild grass” that requires very little care revealed that there is a US$60-billion market for bamboo because it provides the environmental sustainability that wood does not.

Rainford discovered that bamboo charcoal burns clean and the bamboo that is harvested regrows quickly. In fact, he realised that newly planted bamboo matures in four years, whereas hardwoods take 15 or more years. He also found that bamboo can be converted into many charcoal products such as biochar and activated bamboo carbon, bamboo board, furniture, plywood, and even used to frame out houses — saving as much as 30 per cent on traditional block and steel construction methods.

And so Rainford approached his family to start the Green Gold Co-operative Society Limited. He was then assisted by the Small Business Association of Jamaica (SBAJ) in the formation of a new trade association called the Bamboo Industry Association of Jamaica (BIAJ), spearheaded by the BSJ, which is seeking to standardise the bamboo industry in partnership with other private and public sector agencies and organisations, including the Biotechnology Centre of The University of the West Indies.

Dennise Williams (DW): Tell us about the products and services of Green Gold. Why do you consider bamboo the real green gold rather than ganja?

Robert Rainford (RR): Green Gold Group (GGG) began by doing extensive research in various methods of converting bamboo to bamboo charcoal, ranging from the “earthen method” to the use of mechanical kilns. And with investment by venture capitalists, is expecting to export bamboo charcoal and bamboo charcoal briquettes to the USA and Canada. GGG is also conducting research and development into the conversion of bamboo charcoal to activated bamboo charcoal, which is used in many industries worldwide.

DW: You say the industry is labour-intensive; why is that?

RR: Because the bamboo has to be harvested manually. This is potentially a big source of manual labour for Jamaica. Investments into the conversion of bamboo paper and packaging materials will position it as the replacement for plastic and styrofoam. This will provide owners of bamboo and their employees with sustainable means of earning money.

DW: What, if any, equipment is required to start earning in bamboo? What if I want to make plywood for resale to hardware stores? What if I want to make charcoal? What about furniture? What about foodstuffs such as ketchup and spices with bamboo?

RR: This would mean that you would be investing in some of the four identifiable value chains. All these value chains begin with harvesting the bamboo. For plywood you would then use bamboo machinery to convert the bamboo to bamboo slats, and then use other machinery to convert to plywood and board. The board can then be converted to furniture using regular furniture machinery. Similarly, bamboo shoots can be converted to sauces and other condiments using regular food-processing machinery. A bamboo charcoal kiln is the most efficient method of converting to charcoal, biochar and activated bamboo carbon.

DW: You talk a lot about partnerships. What role do the HEART Trust and UTech play in developing the bamboo industry? And what about the Bureau of Standards?

RR: The Bureau of Standards has been operating as the focal point for creating partnerships in the new bamboo industry. The BSJ collaborated with HEART in the development of a national vocations qualification for bamboo technology. The BSJ is collaborating with UTech and National Housing Trust in the development of the use of Jamaican bamboo in the construction industry. There is also collaboration with UWI Biotechnology Centre in tissue culture and training. The BSJ spearheaded the event of Jamaica to become the 38th member of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) in 2012, and to become the chair of the governing INBAR Council between 2014 and 2017. This assisted the BSJ to implement technical committees for writing and promulgating several bamboo products standards, thus raising Jamaica’s profile for investments and partnerships for massive future growth in the bamboo industry.

DW: Where do you see the opportunity for growth in the bamboo industry?

RR: There are big opportunities for converting bamboo to bamboo briquettes, which will help to save our Jamaican hardwood from being used in jerk pans and kitchens throughout the country. The briquettes can be flavoured to capture the aroma of popular hardwood trees and then exported. The bamboo charcoal can also be activated and used in water filters, which can then be used to treat sewage. The activated bamboo charcoal can also be used in the nutraceutical industry. One big opportunity is in the use of bamboo for flooring and roofing and ceiling, and generally in the construction industry.

DW: Tell us how bamboo can help with Jamaica’s energy needs — you mentioned that I can turn bamboo into cooking gas.

RR: Bamboo is the largest source of biomass and as such, can be converted into biofuels.

DW: With all the opportunities in the bamboo industry in general, where will Green Gold be in the next five years?

RR: Green Gold Group will be the largest contributor to development of small and medium-sized enterprises in Jamaica. Apart from taking part in joint ventures for the manufacture of a wide range of products previously mentioned, it will be the provider of services in the bamboo industry — services such as quality management, soil enhancement and bamboo plantation management and bamboo-centred ecotourism.