Govt to pilot bamboo furniture manufacturing, expand cultivation

The government is investing this year in expanded bamboo cultivation to support a pilot bamboo furniture manufacturing initiative.

This is according to Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh during his presentation of Budget 2026.

“In 2026, the forestry sector will pilot bamboo furniture manufacturing using existing inventories while cultivating 50 acres to expand bamboo supplies in support of sustainable diversification,” he said.

Dr Singh also noted that the government will establish a registry of furniture manufacturers and identify beneficiaries for training to help grow supply to meet the needs of residential and commercial consumers.

Speaking about the forestry sector, the Finance Minister acknowledged that in recent years, value-added production across the industry was boosted by additional private sector investments in sawmills, kiln drying facilities, and furniture manufacturing operations.

In fact, he said during 2025, the prefabricated housing initiative was able to scale production, and in 2026 will supply domestic and export markets, using both prime and lesser-known timber species.

Moreover, Dr Singh said Guyana’s Timber Legality Assurance System is advancing work to issue the first Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade Licence by the end of 2026, after which trade missions to target export markets to the EU will be facilitated.