AS part of the collective effort to assist one another in maintaining each nation’s momentum for economic progress and to ensure that the region continues to be favored as a trading partner of other more developed regions, nine of the ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries are prepared to take the next step in boosting an industry that will allow the regional economies to take a greater share of the expanding global furniture and home decor market. The industry referred to is the rattan production and fabrication industry. With the exception of Singapore, the ASEAN countries have established rattan plantations in recognition of the value of this forest vine species, specifically to their economies. Indonesia has the largest area planted to rattan, followed by Malaysia and the Philippines. Rattan is still one of Asia’s most important nonwood forest products, it being a prime source of foreign exchange after timber. It earns millions of dollars in exports yearly. It is the most important source of material for making baskets and mats in Southeast Asia and the principal raw material for furniture and handicraft.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Ecosystems Research and Development (DENR-ERDB) and the Los Ba?os-based Department of Science and Technology Forest Products Research Institute (FPRDI) conducted last year an inquiry into the application of production and utilization technologies for Rattan Sustainable Development in the ASEAN Member Countries. Funded by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the pre-project surveyed the status of the rattan industry in the nine ASEAN countries of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. The survey found the need for improved techniques in rattan plantation establishment and management.
As a result of the initial inquiry, the Philippine DENR-ERDB has formulated a proposal to further develop rattan technologies through a collaborative partnership among research institutions in ASEAN countries. We share the optimism that this inter-country cooperation will help the ASEAN economies become more competitive players in the global furniture market.