KINGSTON, Jamaica— The Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce says Jamaica will join the rest of the world tomorrow, September 18, in commemorating World Bamboo Day 2020.

World Bamboo Day is aimed at increasing awareness of bamboo throughout the world and “is a day to celebrate the many and varied benefits that growing, processing and using bamboo bring to the millions of people involved with it,” the ministry said.

Gladstone Rose, director of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica’s (BSJ) Special Projects Unit, INBAR Focal Point, said the World Bamboo Organization “aims to bring the potential of bamboo to a more elevated exposure, protect natural resources and the environment, ensure sustainable utilisation and promote new cultivation of bamboo for new industries in regions around the world, as well as promote traditional uses locally for community economic development.”

“World Bamboo Day is about all things bamboo: sustainability, environment, ecology, science, architecture, art, music, food, housing, habitat, restoration, aesthetics, economy, utilisation, everything. It is about the connections and the networks, about promotion and about our planet’s future,” Rose said.

He noted that the global bamboo market has an estimated value of more than US$60 billion and is used in various industries such as construction, health and wellness, agriculture, clothing manufacturing, paper manufacturing, furniture, and others.

“Given the simplicity of the production process for many bamboo outputs, Jamaica could gain significantly from the expansion of this industry. The BSJ and JAMPRO are working to increase local and international investments in bamboo, as it will significantly boost manufacturing in the island,” he added.