VIDEO LINK: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1622328448406933
Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Tuesday, 25 February 2025
BAMBOO VS PLASTICS IN CHINA
China is pushing for bamboo to replace plastics.
- daily necessities,
- industrial products, and
- architecture and building materials.
- establish a preliminary bamboo-for-plastic industrial system;
- increase the comprehensive added value of major bamboo-for-plastic products by more than 20 per cent in relation to 2022 figures; and
- improve the comprehensive utilisation rate of bamboo materials by 20 per cent.
Meeting this goal will require a high degree of multi-sectoral coordination and robust governmental support. It is believed this ambitious goal is achievable under the right conditions. It requires “joint efforts from all stakeholders and actors based on their capabilities, knowledge and technologies to pursue and fulfil its objectives of beating plastic pollution”.
One example of this in practice can be seen in eastern China’s county of Anji, Zhejiang province. Despite being home to only 1.8 per cent of national bamboo forest resources, Anji is responsible for [10 per cent](https://www.forestry.gov.cn/c/www/szxx/517568.jhtml) of total national production value.
The area features a sustainable bamboo production and processing hub, integrating ecotourism, food and biofuel businesses. It highlights how strong industry coordination, government support and public participation can [spur](https://www.scmp.com/.../china-bamboo-where-future-lies...) the regional development of bamboo over traditional plastics." https://www.eco-business.com/.../unleashing-bamboo-a.../
Plastics are integral to our modern lives, used in everything from packaging and construction to textiles and consumer goods. They are cheap and versatile, but come with significant environmental costs. Annual global plastic production has surged in the 21st century, increasing between 2000 and 2019 from 234 million tonnes to 460 million tonnes.
As of 2019, only 19 per cent of that was incinerated – and only 9 per cent was recycled. Most is either disposed of in landfills or released into the environment. Plastics then leach harmful chemicals, contributing to the “triple planetary crisis” of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
Plastics also release greenhouse gases throughout their life cycle. These emissions are projected to account for 15 per cent of our total global carbon budget by 2050. Meanwhile, terrestrial and marine ecosystems are being overloaded with mountains of plastic waste. An estimated 19-23 million tonnes entered aquatic ecosystems in 2016 alone.
Efforts are being made to address this crisis. The UN’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution is working to develop a legally binding treaty on plastic pollution.
Regional and national measures have also been launched, like the European Union’s 2021 ban on common single-use plastics, as well as plastic bag regulations in at least 127 countries. Researchers are also exploring low-carbon, bio-based materials known as “bioplastics”, to replace plastics derived from fossil fuels. However, challenges remain regarding the durability, non-degradable components and costs associated with bioplastics.
Bamboo is one such bioplastic variant that shows promise. Crucially, bamboo can replace many single-use plastics, including straws, cutlery, cups, bowls and food packaging. These items are among the most emissions-intensive and difficult-to-recycle items. Single-use items also represent between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of all plastic use.
“As a nature-based solution, bamboo offers diversified options for replacing plastics,” says my colleague, Li Yanxia, senior programme officer at the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR).
An intergovernmental organisation with 51 member states, INBAR is headquartered in China. It harnesses modern research methods and cutting-edge technologies to unlock new pathways for innovative value addition.
In China, research and development and industrial applications of bamboo-based plastics have witnessed rapid growth in recent years. Especially in the fields of daily necessities and catering supplies, many new products have been developed and industrialised.
Changhua Fang, professor, International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan
‘Green gold’
China has been working with bamboo for 7,000 years. Traditionally, the plant has been used for arrowheads, baskets, pens, paper, scrolls, shoes, food and building materials.
Nowadays, with 7.5 million hectares of bamboo forest at its disposal, China’s highly advanced manufacturing and processing industries are worth billions: China’s total bamboo output value for 2023 was CNY 541 billion (US$75 billion). This has earned bamboo the name “green gold” internationally for its ability to drive sustainable economic development.
“In China, research and development and industrial applications of bamboo-based plastics have witnessed rapid growth in recent years,” says Changhua Fang, a professor at The International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR’s technical research sister organisation). “Especially in the fields of daily necessities and catering supplies, many new products have been developed and industrialised.” These include bamboo bicycles, phone cases, wind turbine blades and structural components.
What sets bamboo apart from other materials is its ability to synergistically tackle global challenges like climate change mitigation, poverty alleviation, the environment’s conservation, construction resilience and now, plastic pollution.
In addition to its ability to replace single-use plastics, the plant can potentially act as a powerful carbon sink. And as a proven tool in land restoration, bamboo can flourish on marginal, degraded lands with minimal agricultural inputs.
It also grows rapidly and binds soils thanks to the extensive networks of rhizomes (thick, underground stems) it establishes. Recently, bamboo made the news following flooding in Pakistan and earthquakes in Ecuador, because it is a strong, low-cost and resilient material for post-disaster reconstruction efforts.
Bamboo as a substitute for plastic
In the past few years, China has established several initiatives and plans to realise bamboo’s potential as an alternative to plastic.
In 2022, INBAR collaborated with the Chinese government to launch the Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic (BASP) Initiative. It aims to leverage bamboo to reduce plastic pollution, address climate change and accelerate achievement of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. BASP’s ultimate objective is to foster new global paradigms and modes across the entire chain of bamboo products, which can replace plastics.
The Chinese government has undertaken several supportive measures to facilitate the implementation of BASP.
In 2023, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China and INBAR co-launched the First International Symposium on Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic. As part of the event, BASP’s global action plan was released. It is the main framework for coordinating and scaling up international BASP action, and is complemented by a domestic action plan for China.
The Chinese plan targets three main plastic-substitution areas: daily necessities, industrial products, and architecture and building materials. By 2025, it also aims to: establish a preliminary bamboo-for-plastic industrial system; increase the comprehensive added value of major bamboo-for-plastic products by more than 20 per cent in relation to 2022 figures; and improve the comprehensive utilisation rate of bamboo materials by 20 per cent.
Meeting this goal will require a high degree of multi-sectoral coordination and robust governmental support. Li believes this ambitious goal is achievable under the right conditions. It requires “joint efforts from all stakeholders and actors based on their capabilities, knowledge and technologies to pursue and fulfil its objectives of beating plastic pollution”.
One example of this in practice can be seen in eastern China’s county of Anji, Zhejiang province. Despite being home to only 1.8 per cent of national bamboo forest resources, Anji is responsible for 10 per cent of total national production value.
The area features a sustainable bamboo production and processing hub, integrating ecotourism, food and biofuel businesses. It highlights how strong industry coordination, government support and public participation can spur the regional development of bamboo over traditional plastics.
With the right enabling policies and business frameworks, similar clusters could emerge in other bamboo-rich regions of the Global South. “The bamboo-based plastic substitute industries of other countries are still in their infancy, and can learn from China’s experience,” says Fang.
For these countries, establishing a national strategy is a top priority. This will align the sector’s stakeholders and ensure cohesive growth. Within their specific contexts, countries should develop national policy that incorporates various tax incentive mechanisms: tax-exemption status for small- and medium-sized enterprises; tax rebates on imported equipment, tools and machinery; and streamlined procedures for importing materials. Such measures will help attract investment and strengthen bamboo’s value chains.
International feasibility of bamboo production chains
In 2023, INBAR spearheaded a key international pilot project to assess bamboo value chains, which is expected to conclude next year. It investigates genes, cultivation, material properties, products and life-cycle assessments across six countries, representing bamboo-rich areas across the tropical and subtropical belts: Vietnam, Malaysia, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ecuador and Brazil.
Researchers have so far investigated several high-yield bamboo species, including Oxytenanthera abyssinica, Guadua angustifolia (“Kunth”) and Thyrsostachys oliveri (“Gamble”), for growth rate, structural characteristics, gene interactions and more.
Additionally, an Oxytenanthera abyssinica cultivation manual has been translated into English, to guide training, disseminate knowledge and grow its presence in Africa. And surveys have been conducted to identify which plastic goods are suitable for substitution. In Ethiopia, which has a national bamboo policy framework, they include window blinds, handbags and packaging film.
Global trade plays a vital role in this initiative, supported by resources like UN Comtrade, a comprehensive database for tracking international trade flows. But before 2017, bamboo was misclassified as timber. This was due to a lack of accurate Harmonised System (HS) codes, which form an international, numerical system for classifying goods and determining tariffs. 2018 marked the first year when the new HS codes were fully implemented, including categories for woven products, building materials and more. This enabled countries to accurately report their bamboo trade.
This new data is highly valuable. It revealed tableware and kitchenware to be the most-traded bamboo commodities, followed by daily use products such as toothpicks. It enables the accurate mapping of international trade flows, which aids decision-makers in identifying the markets they should allocate their resources to for maximum impact.
It also serves as a “proof of concept”, with revised figures showing that bamboo commodities were traded at nearly twice the previously estimated dollar amount – jumping from US$1.7 billion in 2017 to 3.2 billion in 2018. This suggests higher consumer acceptance of bamboo as an eco-friendly product than previously thought, which is critical for shifting public perceptions of the plant.
The large-scale cultivation of bamboo could raise ecological and forestry concerns. The type of management system, selection of species and local biodiversity can all dictate very different outcomes. Generally speaking, bamboo can flourish under agroforestry, silviculture (forest resource management), intercropping and circular economy approaches, which all foster biodiversity and allow for planting other forestry crops.
These also deliver extra economic benefits to farmers by diversifying income streams. Since bamboo can grow on suboptimal land, it can preserve local forests and avoid encroaching on native biodiversity. These actions are dependent on selecting non-invasive species and utilising sustainable cultivation techniques.
Going forward
Serious challenges remain, however. For example, many bamboo products are still traded with HS codes for timber headings, such as bamboo charcoal and bamboo flooring. Additionally, for entry into the European Union’s market, which has regulation on deforestation-free imports, bamboo must meet the same requirements and standards as timber. But bamboo is a type of grass and has a completely different growth pattern and management regime to trees. This places an onerous financial burden on bamboo producers.
Reducing tariffs on bamboo products can also make them more competitive with plastic products, which already enjoy lower tariffs.
Actors from public, private and third-sector organisations need to operate in tandem to unlock the financial resources that would help small-to-medium-sized bamboo enterprises. With finance, they could scale up, refine and automate production, design favourable policy frameworks and enabling conditions, and develop product-quality standards.
Furthermore, farmers and rural communities need more convenient and affordable linkages with third-party certification systems and training. Meanwhile, public campaigns (executed between the state, civil society and the media) should raise consumer awareness about bamboo’s role in reducing plastic pollution.
Any solution must be transboundary and therefore multilateral in nature to harness the potential of bamboo. With the right initiatives and frameworks, the plant can be the powerhouse the world needs to help confront the challenges of our time.
This article was originally published on Dialogue Earth under a Creative Commons licence.
As of 2019, only 19 per cent of that was incinerated – and only 9 per cent was recycled. Most is either disposed of in landfills or released into the environment. Plastics then leach harmful chemicals, contributing to the “triple planetary crisis” of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
Plastics also release greenhouse gases throughout their life cycle. These emissions are projected to account for 15 per cent of our total global carbon budget by 2050. Meanwhile, terrestrial and marine ecosystems are being overloaded with mountains of plastic waste. An estimated 19-23 million tonnes entered aquatic ecosystems in 2016 alone.
Efforts are being made to address this crisis. The UN’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution is working to develop a legally binding treaty on plastic pollution.
Regional and national measures have also been launched, like the European Union’s 2021 ban on common single-use plastics, as well as plastic bag regulations in at least 127 countries. Researchers are also exploring low-carbon, bio-based materials known as “bioplastics”, to replace plastics derived from fossil fuels. However, challenges remain regarding the durability, non-degradable components and costs associated with bioplastics.
Bamboo is one such bioplastic variant that shows promise. Crucially, bamboo can replace many single-use plastics, including straws, cutlery, cups, bowls and food packaging. These items are among the most emissions-intensive and difficult-to-recycle items. Single-use items also represent between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of all plastic use.
“As a nature-based solution, bamboo offers diversified options for replacing plastics,” says my colleague, Li Yanxia, senior programme officer at the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR).
An intergovernmental organisation with 51 member states, INBAR is headquartered in China. It harnesses modern research methods and cutting-edge technologies to unlock new pathways for innovative value addition.
In China, research and development and industrial applications of bamboo-based plastics have witnessed rapid growth in recent years. Especially in the fields of daily necessities and catering supplies, many new products have been developed and industrialised.
Changhua Fang, professor, International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan
‘Green gold’
China has been working with bamboo for 7,000 years. Traditionally, the plant has been used for arrowheads, baskets, pens, paper, scrolls, shoes, food and building materials.
Nowadays, with 7.5 million hectares of bamboo forest at its disposal, China’s highly advanced manufacturing and processing industries are worth billions: China’s total bamboo output value for 2023 was CNY 541 billion (US$75 billion). This has earned bamboo the name “green gold” internationally for its ability to drive sustainable economic development.
“In China, research and development and industrial applications of bamboo-based plastics have witnessed rapid growth in recent years,” says Changhua Fang, a professor at The International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR’s technical research sister organisation). “Especially in the fields of daily necessities and catering supplies, many new products have been developed and industrialised.” These include bamboo bicycles, phone cases, wind turbine blades and structural components.
What sets bamboo apart from other materials is its ability to synergistically tackle global challenges like climate change mitigation, poverty alleviation, the environment’s conservation, construction resilience and now, plastic pollution.
In addition to its ability to replace single-use plastics, the plant can potentially act as a powerful carbon sink. And as a proven tool in land restoration, bamboo can flourish on marginal, degraded lands with minimal agricultural inputs.
It also grows rapidly and binds soils thanks to the extensive networks of rhizomes (thick, underground stems) it establishes. Recently, bamboo made the news following flooding in Pakistan and earthquakes in Ecuador, because it is a strong, low-cost and resilient material for post-disaster reconstruction efforts.
Bamboo as a substitute for plastic
In the past few years, China has established several initiatives and plans to realise bamboo’s potential as an alternative to plastic.
In 2022, INBAR collaborated with the Chinese government to launch the Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic (BASP) Initiative. It aims to leverage bamboo to reduce plastic pollution, address climate change and accelerate achievement of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. BASP’s ultimate objective is to foster new global paradigms and modes across the entire chain of bamboo products, which can replace plastics.
The Chinese government has undertaken several supportive measures to facilitate the implementation of BASP.
In 2023, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China and INBAR co-launched the First International Symposium on Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic. As part of the event, BASP’s global action plan was released. It is the main framework for coordinating and scaling up international BASP action, and is complemented by a domestic action plan for China.
The Chinese plan targets three main plastic-substitution areas: daily necessities, industrial products, and architecture and building materials. By 2025, it also aims to: establish a preliminary bamboo-for-plastic industrial system; increase the comprehensive added value of major bamboo-for-plastic products by more than 20 per cent in relation to 2022 figures; and improve the comprehensive utilisation rate of bamboo materials by 20 per cent.
Meeting this goal will require a high degree of multi-sectoral coordination and robust governmental support. Li believes this ambitious goal is achievable under the right conditions. It requires “joint efforts from all stakeholders and actors based on their capabilities, knowledge and technologies to pursue and fulfil its objectives of beating plastic pollution”.
One example of this in practice can be seen in eastern China’s county of Anji, Zhejiang province. Despite being home to only 1.8 per cent of national bamboo forest resources, Anji is responsible for 10 per cent of total national production value.
The area features a sustainable bamboo production and processing hub, integrating ecotourism, food and biofuel businesses. It highlights how strong industry coordination, government support and public participation can spur the regional development of bamboo over traditional plastics.
With the right enabling policies and business frameworks, similar clusters could emerge in other bamboo-rich regions of the Global South. “The bamboo-based plastic substitute industries of other countries are still in their infancy, and can learn from China’s experience,” says Fang.
For these countries, establishing a national strategy is a top priority. This will align the sector’s stakeholders and ensure cohesive growth. Within their specific contexts, countries should develop national policy that incorporates various tax incentive mechanisms: tax-exemption status for small- and medium-sized enterprises; tax rebates on imported equipment, tools and machinery; and streamlined procedures for importing materials. Such measures will help attract investment and strengthen bamboo’s value chains.
International feasibility of bamboo production chains
In 2023, INBAR spearheaded a key international pilot project to assess bamboo value chains, which is expected to conclude next year. It investigates genes, cultivation, material properties, products and life-cycle assessments across six countries, representing bamboo-rich areas across the tropical and subtropical belts: Vietnam, Malaysia, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ecuador and Brazil.
Researchers have so far investigated several high-yield bamboo species, including Oxytenanthera abyssinica, Guadua angustifolia (“Kunth”) and Thyrsostachys oliveri (“Gamble”), for growth rate, structural characteristics, gene interactions and more.
Additionally, an Oxytenanthera abyssinica cultivation manual has been translated into English, to guide training, disseminate knowledge and grow its presence in Africa. And surveys have been conducted to identify which plastic goods are suitable for substitution. In Ethiopia, which has a national bamboo policy framework, they include window blinds, handbags and packaging film.
Global trade plays a vital role in this initiative, supported by resources like UN Comtrade, a comprehensive database for tracking international trade flows. But before 2017, bamboo was misclassified as timber. This was due to a lack of accurate Harmonised System (HS) codes, which form an international, numerical system for classifying goods and determining tariffs. 2018 marked the first year when the new HS codes were fully implemented, including categories for woven products, building materials and more. This enabled countries to accurately report their bamboo trade.
This new data is highly valuable. It revealed tableware and kitchenware to be the most-traded bamboo commodities, followed by daily use products such as toothpicks. It enables the accurate mapping of international trade flows, which aids decision-makers in identifying the markets they should allocate their resources to for maximum impact.
It also serves as a “proof of concept”, with revised figures showing that bamboo commodities were traded at nearly twice the previously estimated dollar amount – jumping from US$1.7 billion in 2017 to 3.2 billion in 2018. This suggests higher consumer acceptance of bamboo as an eco-friendly product than previously thought, which is critical for shifting public perceptions of the plant.
The large-scale cultivation of bamboo could raise ecological and forestry concerns. The type of management system, selection of species and local biodiversity can all dictate very different outcomes. Generally speaking, bamboo can flourish under agroforestry, silviculture (forest resource management), intercropping and circular economy approaches, which all foster biodiversity and allow for planting other forestry crops.
These also deliver extra economic benefits to farmers by diversifying income streams. Since bamboo can grow on suboptimal land, it can preserve local forests and avoid encroaching on native biodiversity. These actions are dependent on selecting non-invasive species and utilising sustainable cultivation techniques.
Going forward
Serious challenges remain, however. For example, many bamboo products are still traded with HS codes for timber headings, such as bamboo charcoal and bamboo flooring. Additionally, for entry into the European Union’s market, which has regulation on deforestation-free imports, bamboo must meet the same requirements and standards as timber. But bamboo is a type of grass and has a completely different growth pattern and management regime to trees. This places an onerous financial burden on bamboo producers.
Reducing tariffs on bamboo products can also make them more competitive with plastic products, which already enjoy lower tariffs.
Actors from public, private and third-sector organisations need to operate in tandem to unlock the financial resources that would help small-to-medium-sized bamboo enterprises. With finance, they could scale up, refine and automate production, design favourable policy frameworks and enabling conditions, and develop product-quality standards.
Furthermore, farmers and rural communities need more convenient and affordable linkages with third-party certification systems and training. Meanwhile, public campaigns (executed between the state, civil society and the media) should raise consumer awareness about bamboo’s role in reducing plastic pollution.
Any solution must be transboundary and therefore multilateral in nature to harness the potential of bamboo. With the right initiatives and frameworks, the plant can be the powerhouse the world needs to help confront the challenges of our time.
This article was originally published on Dialogue Earth under a Creative Commons licence.
Thursday, 6 February 2025
ON PERFECTION
Completeness And Perfection
Wickery can be understood as a blending of "wicker" and basketry – and in multiple cultural paradigms. "Wicker" tends to reflect Eurocentric cum Anglocentric utilitarian sensibilities, thus the term "wickery' aims to be more expansive, and more inclusive, culturally. Also, wickery and the exploration of other aesthetic qualities and indeed kinds of perfection is somewhat confronting. In wabi-sabi there is no exact definition that non Japanese speakers can rely upon due to the Japanese fondness for ambiguity. Wabi is derived from the root wa, which refers to 'harmony, peace, tranquility and balance'. All quite desirable but none are unambiguously anything much to do with 'perfection'.The German goldsmith, teacher and cultural commentator, Herman Jünger, working in Germany in the post WW2 era was an advocate for . an 'old German' concept of "vollkommenheit". The translation being to do with completedness and wholesomeness – a 'perfect' state when all pieces/things come together. "Perfection", he intimated was an 'industrial ideal', napoleonic in a sense, and it is what the dictionary says it is but vollkommenheit is somewhat different in regard to 'cultural sensibilities/sensitivities'.
Jünger when teaching used the metaphor of the "quail's egg" and the "ball bearing". "Vollkommenheit" being the perfection that exceeds 'measurability' and 'perfection' being definitively measurable and constraining – absolute and black and white, unambiguous. Culturally, vollkommenheit exceeds perfection. Natural materials, become more 'durable' in a vollkommenheit kind of way with their 'imperfections' contributing to the completeness and wholesomeness and adding to their durability and all the narratives that they carry – overtly and subliminally.
The completeness of something
eclipses perfection immeasurably
Sunday, 2 February 2025
THINKING BAMBOO CHINA 231stC
Feature: How low-altitude economy is
transforming a remote town in southwest China
Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2025-02-01 12:56:
By Yi Ling and Yu Li
CHENGDU, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- The winter morning of Jan. 20 in the mountainous town of Chewang, located in southwest China's Sichuan Province, began for Yuan Tao, the Party chief of Chewang, with two pieces of good news.The newly established drone transportation company in the town, just two months ago, had already secured orders through the end of the year, with expected tax revenue nearing 600,000 yuan (about 83,684 U.S. dollars), while a local bamboo processing company was planning to expand its production capacity in 2025.
.
According to Yuan's calculations, excluding the income boost for locals, the town is projected to generate a record tax revenue of over 1.2 million yuan in 2025, marking a substantial increase of more than 20 percent compared to 2024. He quickly realized that the reason behind this surge was clear: the low-altitude economy.
But how did this small town, located at the crossroads of Sichuan and Guizhou, some 1,900 km from the Chinese capital, Beijing, become associated with the burgeoning low-altitude economy? The story behind this is truly fascinating.
Before 2024, the town, with a population of over 23,000 spread across one community and seven villages, was primarily known for its bamboo industry. Most of the local farmers had never ventured beyond Luzhou, let alone seen a drone in person.
It all began in early September 2024, when Wang Fei, head of Sichuan Honghuang Technology Co., Ltd., a company specializing in drone operations, was informed about Chewang's bamboo resources during a business matchmaking workshop in Luzhou.
Wang then visited Chewang intending to establish a cableway to help local villagers transport bamboo down from the mountains.
Surrounding Chewang are bamboo forests that span over 300,000 mu (about 20,000 hectares), making it one of the core bamboo production areas in Luzhou. However, due to the mountainous terrain, transporting bamboo harvested from the hilltops is a major challenge, often leading villagers to watch their bamboo "naturally perish" as they struggle to move it.
Rather than building a cableway, Wang thought to himself, why not transport the bamboo directly with drones?
After conducting a field survey, Wang presented the idea to Yuan, pointing out that many of the bamboo groves were located within 300 meters of rural roads, making them ideal for low-altitude drone transport.
In early November, Wang brought a team of professionals to demonstrate the bamboo transportation process.
Following the instructions, a drone took off with a roughly 10-meter-long rope descending vertically onto a harvested bamboo grove. A villager swiftly bound a 50-kg bundle of bamboo, and the drone, carrying the bundle, flew about 300 meters before unloading it on a flat area beside the village road -- all within just five minutes.
It was an eye-opening experience for Yuan and his fellow villagers. "I thought this could only happen in a movie," Yuan told Xinhua. "How can such a 'big toy plane' do something like this?"
A major bamboo producer in Luzhou, Chewang alone is home to 70,000 mu of bamboo forest, with more than half located in hilly areas. "Using drones can solve over 70 percent of the transportation challenges for bamboo in our town," he said.
Following the drone demonstration, the people of Chewang decided to move ahead. On Nov. 28, Sichuan Qingmu Tianque Technology Co., Ltd. was founded in the town, with a registered capital of 3 million yuan. The company's operations cover public air transport, general aviation services and air cargo packaging.
"We can't miss the opportunities brought by the low-altitude economy," Yuan said, noting that the following day, the first batch of nine drones began operations.
Zhou Jiangtao, a bamboo buyer and frequent visitor to Chewang, was stunned by the "revolutionary" changes that had taken place in just three months.
He explained that, just the day before, the drones had transported four tonnes of bamboo from the mountains, and by the following morning, they had a total of around 10 tonnes, just enough for one truck.
Before the introduction of drone transport, it took three villagers about three days to move one tonne of bamboo across a straight-line distance of just 200 meters.
"With a daily wage of 150 yuan per person for workers transporting bamboo and a market price of 500 yuan per tonne, our bamboo farmers were barely making any money," Yuan said.
However, with drone transport, covering the same distance means that moving one tonne of bamboo requires 20 drone trips, which can be completed in just two hours at a cost of 200 yuan.
Wang Dongshui, from Jiuqiao Village, was one of the first to experience drone transport. "Previously, the bamboo we planted on the mountain was so difficult to sell, as no one came to collect it. Since December, all the bamboo from my seven mu of land has been transported by drone, earning me over 3,000 yuan," he said.
"Our business is thriving, even though our company is still young," Wang Fei chimed in cheerfully. "With our current capacity, we have orders lined up until the end of 2025."
Looking ahead, Yuan said that, following the delivery of an additional 30 drones as part of the cooperation agreement with the company, they plan to expand their business from Chewang to surrounding areas in Luzhou, the city of Yibin, and even the neighboring Chishui City in Guizhou Province.
The company will also initiate training programs for drone operators, Yuan noted.
.......................
SKILLED WORKFORCE
At the drone pilot training base of Luzhou Vocational and Technical College, 40 retired military personnel are grouped into teams to operate four drones for flight practice. The veterans are currently undergoing a three-month training program to develop their drone application skills.
Meanwhile, in one of the college's teaching buildings, students enrolled in the 2024 drone application technology program are undergoing simulated flight training at the virtual drone simulation center.
The training base boasts a standardized runway measuring 140 meters in length and 40 meters in width. To meet the training requirements, the college has also applied for an airborne space of 300 meters in height, covering an area of 50 square kilometers.
The drone training base is also equipped with advanced virtual simulation training devices, along with facilities such as a drone hangar and fully equipped training classrooms.
"Our college serves as a cradle for cultivating drone technology talent in Luzhou," said Bao Xuedong, vice president of Luzhou Vocational and Technical College, adding that Luzhou is the first city in the province to launch cooperative school programs linked to low-altitude economy disciplines.
"The training is helping me become a more employable 'near-professional,'" said Wen Yonggang, a student enrolled in the drone application technology program since September.
He noted that he chose this major not only to fulfill his dream of "serving the nation through aviation" but also because of the rapidly developing drone industry, which offers vast potential and promising career prospects.
In his spare time, Wen participates in various activities through the college's drone association to gain more practical experience.
"By the time I graduate, I hope to earn both a certificate in drone maintenance and a drone pilot license," he said.
Since the launch of its first admissions for low-altitude economy-related programs, the vocational college has seen a surge in applications.
The first batch of 148 students began their full-day training in September. Community training in drone applications is also gaining momentum, with the first group of 40 retired military veterans now receiving drone application skills training.
"Acquiring an additional professional skill opens up more employment opportunities for me in the future," said Zhou Yidong, a university student and veteran who has long been interested in drones.
He noted that the local veterans' affairs bureau provided this training opportunity, which he immediately enrolled in, even taking leave from his university to participate.
China's central government has identified the low-altitude economy as a key sector for developing new quality productive forces, with the Sichuan provincial government taking significant steps to promote its growth.
In 2025, the college initiated partnerships with the Ordnance Science and Research Academy of China under China North Industries Group Corporation, and China's major commercial unmanned aerial vehicle company JOUAV, which is based in Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu, to establish an industrial academy, according to Bao.
They have launched programs in drone application technology and satellite communication and navigation technology, aimed at forming a skilled workforce for drone production, manufacturing and application industries.
Looking ahead, Bao said the college plans to expand partnerships with leading enterprises to jointly establish a low-altitude flight school and develop productive drone training bases on campus. This initiative aims to cultivate high-quality professionals to support the growth of smart manufacturing and the low-altitude economy in Luzhou. ■
Thursday, 30 January 2025
Saturday, 25 January 2025
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