Tea Yang Bamboo

Tea Yang Bamboo

　　The Chayang Town of Dabu County has made full use of its abundant bamboo forest resources by introducing several new bamboo product processing enterprises. These businesses consume over 130,000 tons of bamboo annually, boosting the local bamboo product market and increasing farmers' incomes.

　　 　　Chayang Town is known as the "hometown of bamboo." In the past, due to the scarcity of bamboo processing enterprises in the area, apart from a portion of the harvested bamboo being sold to the town’s bamboo handicraft factory and a small amount being handcrafted by folk artisans into items such as winnowing baskets and bamboo/rattan goods, the vast majority of bamboo underwent only rudimentary processing or was directly transported to construction sites. Sales were very limited and prices remained low. The cheap price of bamboo meant that farmers had limited income from bamboo cultivation and lacked motivation. As a result, large quantities of bamboo were wasted in the mountains, leaving farmers unable to prosper despite having high-quality resources at their doorstep.

　　 　　In recent years, the town has capitalized on the wave of investment attraction by leveraging its advantages in bamboo and timber resources. It has introduced foreign investment to promote deep processing of bamboo and timber products, bringing in multiple new bamboo product processing enterprises, and actively supporting and guiding leading bamboo product processing companies—such as the former town bamboo factory—that possess advantages in resources, branding, and development potential to grow stronger. The introduction of these bamboo processing enterprises has significantly increased the demand for bamboo and invigorated the bamboo trading market.

　　 　　In 2003, the selling price of 50 kilograms of bamboo in the town was 10–12 yuan; by 2006, it had risen to 18–20 yuan. Calculating based on an average farmer harvesting 250 kilograms of bamboo per day, the income at 2003 prices would have been just 50–60 yuan, whereas now it can reach 90–100 yuan. The substantial increase in price has greatly motivated farmers. Bamboo, once overlooked, has become highly sought after. Currently, the town has bamboo forests covering an area of 15,000 mu of clumping bamboo and 81,000 mu of moso bamboo.

　　 　　It is reported that last year, income from selling bamboo alone allowed farmers with fewer bamboo groves to increase their earnings by several thousand yuan, while those with more could gain an additional 10,000–20,000 yuan. “When the big river rises, the small streams fill up.” The rise in bamboo prices in Chayang has also driven up prices in surrounding areas such as Qingxi Town, Xihe Town, and Fengxi Forest Farm, bringing tangible benefits to farmers in those neighboring towns (and farms) as well.