28 - 30 June 2009 - A team from Prosperity Initiative visited Houaphanh, Lao PDR, to introduce its new Houaphanh Bamboo Project Manager, Sommai Faming, to partners in the province. While there, the team met with provincial authorities to discuss future plans on developing the bamboo sector. The discussions focused in particular on opening trade between Houaphanh and neighbouring Thanh Hoa province, where Viet Nam's bamboo industry is most developed.

Although Houaphanh has abundant natural bamboo resources, the industry there is still in its very nascent stages. Houaphanh only has 3 registered bamboo processing businesses. One of the 3 factories is a paper pulp factory, and the other two factories produce semi and finished chopsticks, tooth picks, incense sticks and rough cut raw bamboo for the domestic and Vietnamese markets. In spite of abundant natural bamboo resources, the industry in Houaphanh is much quieter than Thanh Hoa's active bamboo sector.  Prosperity Initiative is working with Houaphanh to grow the industry, focusing primarily on developing and improving the bamboo value chain between Lao PDR and Viet Nam, as well as ensuring smallholder resource ownership and sustainable management.

"The industrial bamboo sector in Houaphanh is relatively new to its people and the local authorities," Faming said. "Thanks to Prosperity Initiative, who introduced and demonstrated the value of the bamboo sector to Houaphanh through many workshops, events and study tours over the last year, the government and people in Houaphanh are aware of the benefits and potential of the bamboo sector to fight poverty."