CANE, also known as rattan, is an important non-timber forest product which is used extensively as a raw material for cottage industry and for making furniture, handicraft products and other household articles. Md. Nuruzzaman, Conservator of Forests, in his paper published in the National Report on the State of Bamboo and Rattan Development in Bangladesh, says that only two cane genera, Daemonorops and Calamus, are found in the country. Cane generally grows in Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Hill Tracts and Sylhet. Good quality cane also grows in Comilla, Bogra, Jessore and other districts.
Sylhet region tops the list in the production of cane. Kolapara, Ghasitola, Ghaipara, Patharia, Kulaura, Sonatola, Barsijora, Tilagaon and Kalasora in Sylhet and Moulvibazar districts are famous for cane production and business. Cane has copious growth on the khas lands of the government scattered all over the hilly areas in Sylhet and Moulvibazar. Some cane gardens have been set up in the private sector. Shamsernagar, Kalaura, Kamalganj, Patharia, Jointapur, Kanaighat, Balaganj, Zakiganj and Golpaganj of Sylhet and Moulvibazar produce the best quality cane.
Bamboo and cane goods comprise the largest sub-sector of handicraft. Sylhet was once known far and wide for its intricate cane furniture. European settlers were pioneers in cane cultivation and consumption in Sylhet. However, only a few cane-based furniture manufacturers are at present holding on to their ancestral business. The invasion of modern and cheaper wood and plastic furniture, the use of land for agriculture instead of growing cane, and mindless deforestation in parts of Sylhet, has driven the industry to near-death. Bangladesh currently imports cane, worth Tk 30 million, to make furniture for household use. A portion of furniture is exported. Industry insiders say that only a few companies are involved in this trade, as the prices of raw materials in the global market are high.
Industry insiders say they have lost about 50 per cent of their business in the past five years. Cane imports have also decreased by half during the same period. Mohammad Mahmud Ali, proprietor of New Sylhet Cane Furniture Factory, says that they imported between 8 and 10 containers - each with about 5,000 pieces of cane - annually five years ago. 'Now we import less than four containers a year. Some cane traders have withdrawn from the market altogether,' adds Ali.
A.B.M Ruhul Quddas Shahnewaj, the proprietor of Jahanra Cottege Industry, identifies major problems of the cane industry: deforestation, lack of incentives, lack of standard designer and artisans, underdeveloped technology, lack of confidence in the trade by banks and other financial institutions, and lack of promotional programmes. He says, "Cane utility products have a huge demand in Europe and the Middle East. Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia are taking advantage of this global market.
The market size of cane products in Europe and the USA is $03 billion a year. Indonesia controls 90 per cent of those markets. Myanmar is now becoming the leading country which exports cane ware to all around the world. Over 30 Myanmar companies are exporting to over 30 countries."
Researcher Mahbubul Alam of United Graduate School of Agricultural Science University Matsuyama, Japan and Researcher Yasushi Furukawa of Forest Management Laboratory Faculty of Agriculture Kochi University, Japan have recommended the following to improve the cane industry sector in Bangladesh :
l The government agencies (i.e. Forest Department) should ensure sustainable supply of quality raw material by raising cane plantation.
l The government can establish an institute to carry out research, training for the workers on various aspects of product development and marketing, including the improved processing technology.
l Financial and marketing support should be ensured both by the government and private sectors. Fund allocation in favour of artisans engaged in the cane industry should be increased. Mechanism can be developed to finance the entrepreneurs, especially during difficult financial situations.
l Awareness should be created among the people in favour of cane-based cottage industry and its products. In this case, the mass media can play an important role. Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) and other organisation can arrange trade fairs for these products throughout the country to help develop and expand a local market.
Cane-based cottage industry can play a crucial role in the socio-economic uplift of rural as well as urban poor. Cane is a significant cash crop which dominates SME sector and family business in rural Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) conducted a survey in 1981, according to which there were 322,000 cottage industry units in the country engaged in producing 160 different types of goods. According to this survey, cane-based industry or family business is one of the profitable and flourishing sectors for rural development of the country. It is most valuable after timber and bamboo.
According to the report of the Expansion of Trade in Rattan and Rubber Wood Furniture, Economic and Social commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) -1991 and the Manual on the Production of Rattan Furniture, United Nations Development Organization-1983, cane-based furniture industry is highly effective and the demand of cane products is growing.
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