The First Lady, Isabel da Costa Ferreira, launched, last December 18th, the “Bamboo Planting” Program, in suco of Estado, subdistrict of Ermera, district of Ermera. This is a program of the State Secretariat for Support and Promotion of the Private Sector (SSSPPS).
After having planted bamboo plants, at the program’s launching ceremony, the First Lady asked State institutions to promote bamboo planting, for populations to value this plant, which might help them on the family economy. “This program is good and it might be extended to all districts”, stated Isabel Ferreira.
The program has the objective, not only to protect soil from erosion, but also to decrease families’ dependence on imported furniture. Isabel Ferreira argued that the exploitation of Timor-Leste’s natural resources, as it is the case of bamboo, might decrease the dependence on the oil fund, as it can be used to export to countries such as China and India.
The Secretary of State for Support and Promotion of the Private Sector, Veneranda Lemos, informed that the bamboo plantation could be highly profitable, because in a four-year’s period it is already ready to be harvested to supply Tibar’s Bamboo centre. She further added that the Government is planning to plant nineteen thousand bamboo plants all over Timor-Leste.
Felisberto dos Santos, a farmer from Ermera’s district, said that, “now the country is independent, planting bamboo can bring plenty of benefits, because Tibar’s Bamboo Centre buys bamboo to produce furniture”.
Present at the launching of bamboo planting, apart from the First Lady, Isabel da Costa Ferreira, were the Secretary of State for Support and Promotion of the Private Sector, Veneranda Lemos, the Secretary of State for Media (SSM), Nélio Isaac Sarmento, the Secretary of State for Forestry, João Cardoso Fernandes, the Secretary of State for Environment, Nominando Soares Martins, the Secretary of State for Social Security, Victor da Costa, local leaders, community leaders and the elders.