(KPL) Just one district alone, Sangthong, Vientiane Capital, has as many as 1,950 people involved in producing bamboo fences, baskets and other products.
This has come to the attention of the Netherlands Development Organisation-Gender Development Group or SNV-GDG, which is supporting the people involved in this industry by getting them to add value to their products, to venture into new products and combinations and it would work to get the fair trade principles to be applied.
Another body that was established in this locality was the Bamboo Traders’ Association (BTA). It was working hard to provide current market information to the producers. The group has invested in new technology, bought and sold the bamboo products, and controlled the quality of the products.
The bamboo producers produced mainly fencing and chicken coops, giving them only razor thin profits. However, they wanted to upgrade but there were limitations to achieve their ambitions and one way round this would be to identify the constraints and to find solutions to the problems.
SNV-GDG could play a vital role by developing new products and business models. It would also strengthen the BTA, producer groups and stakeholders. This farang NGO also said it would do all that it could to strengthen the various bamboo producers associations found in the villages as it believed that such grassroots bodies could promote entrepreneurship at the bamboo producers level.
KPL Lao News Agency
