To this effect, an agreement was signed between the Grass Company Limited, a bamboo furniture producer, and farmers in Da Teh district in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong on July 17. The signing ceremony marks the beginning of a long-term relationship between both parties.

The partnership with the Grass Company is supported by the Asia Regional Biodiversity Conservation Programme (ARBCP), which is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Regional Development Mission for Asia and implemented by Winrock International.

Grass has recently reached an agreement with 50 households in An Nhon and Huong Lam communes to plant 40 hectares of Tam Vong bamboo as a pilot project for the company’s 1,000 ha programme. However, only 31 of them have signed contracts with the company to plant this year due to the limited availability of bamboo seedlings.

Under the agreement, the company will provide all the planting materials, fertilisers and half of the labour costs needed to plant and take care of their plantations over the next five years.