Research on bamboo needs to be translated into commercial products

KUCHING, 9 Oct: Results of research related to bamboo need to be translated into commerciable industrial products to open up new opportunities in resource-based industrial development in Sarawak.

Deputy Minister of Urban Planning, Land and Environment Administration, Datuk Len Talif Salleh said that research and development (R&D) applications should be carried out continuously through the cooperation of public sector, private sector and research institutions to improve the quality of bamboo products.

He who is also a Member of the Management Board of the Sarawak Lumber Company Development Corporation (PUSAKA), said lack of research to improve product quality was among the factors limiting the development of traditional bamboo-based products to meet international market needs.

"Most of the products we see now are still in prototyping and research stages. The next phase is to take this product to a semi-commercial stage before it's fully commercialized.

"Research carried out in the laboratory should be translated into commercial industrial products", he said, speaking at Sarawak Buluh Day 2026 seminar here today.

He added that PUSAKA is conducting commercial trials with the industry to develop four bamboo-based products, namely coal briquettes, activated carbon, rubber flour and pulp.

The aim of the effort was to assess the potential for developing the product on a commercial scale, thereby opening up space to the diversity of uses of bamboo in the industrial sector.

Meanwhile, research should also focus on the varieties of bamboo found in Sarawak, including exotic and endemic species, as well as appropriate cultivation methods and wildlife management.

"If we run experiments on too many species, say 20 to 30 species at a time, the resources available will be divided and research efforts less focused.

"It's better to focus on what needs to be done and how well it is done, rather than trying to do everything slowly and eventually, the product fails to break through", he said.