The International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation

The International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation, INBAR, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated
to the promotion of bamboo and rattan for sustainable development.

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International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation

Editors: Wu Junqi, Charlotte King

International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation

P.O. Box 100102-86, Beijing 100102, China
Tel: +86 10 64706161; Fax: +86 10 6470 2166 © 2021 International Bamboo and
Rattan Organisation (INBAR)
Email: info@inbar.int
Website: www.inbar.int ♻ Printed on recycled paper
Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1

A note on the data .............................................................................................................. 2

1. Exports and imports of bamboo products in China, 2019 .................................................. 3

1.1 Main bamboo products traded by China ..................................................................... 3

1.2 Main trade markets for China’s bamboo products ...................................................... 4

1.3 Trade trends regarding Chinese bamboo products...................................................... 5

2. Exports and imports of rattan products in China, 2019 ..................................................... 7

2.1 Main rattan products traded by China ......................................................................... 7

2.2 Main trade markets for China’s rattan products .......................................................... 8

2.3 Trade trends of Chinese rattan products ..................................................................... 8

Annex: Main bamboo export partners of China ...................................................................... 10

Table 1. Bamboo products exported from China to the EU in 2019 ................................ 10

Table 2. Bamboo products exported from China to the USA in 2019 .............................. 10

Table 3. Bamboo products exported from China to Japan in 2019 ................................. 11

International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation

Data Source: China Customs

 Trade Overview 2019: Bamboo and Rattan Commodities in China

Introduction
Bamboo, the fast-growing grass plant, and rattan, a spiky climbing palm, are widely
distributed across Africa, Asia and Latin America. They grow quickly, mature within a few
years and have a wide range of applications. Bamboo and rattan are important natural
resources, and many people in bamboo- and rattan-producing regions of the developing
world rely on these plants for their livelihoods and as an energy source.

China has the greatest abundance of bamboo resources of any country, with over 40 genera
and more than 800 species. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN’s
2020 Forest Resource Assessment, China’s bamboo forests cover a total area of 6.8 million
hectares. The country is also a leading producer of bamboo products, as the plant is used as
a material in construction, interior design, furniture, paper, packaging, medicine, food,
textiles and chemicals. According to estimates by the China Bamboo Industry Association, the
Chinese bamboo industry directly employs almost 10 million people.

Aside from bamboo, China has some 300,000 hectares of natural rattan-growing area and an
additional 5,000 hectares of rattan plantations in the country’s south and southwest. With
more than 150,000 people employed in rattan, this sector also plays an important role in
China’s rural economic development.

As the world’s largest producer, consumer, importer and exporter of bamboo and rattan
products, China plays a pivotal role in the international bamboo and rattan sector. As such,
China’s import and export flows influence the overall international trade of bamboo and
rattan products.

In 2019, the total international trade of China’s bamboo and rattan sector reached USD 2.26
billion, of which bamboo products accounted for USD 2.14 billion and rattan products USD
120 million. Trade was almost entirely export-based, with exports making up USD 2.23 billion
of the total.

While these statistics are significant in the context of the bamboo and rattan trade as a whole,
it is important to note that they comprise only a small portion of China’s overall trade of
bamboo and rattan products, the majority of which is domestic. The China Bamboo Industry

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 Trade Overview 2019: Bamboo and Rattan Commodities in China

Association estimates that the total output value of the bamboo industry is as high as CNY
300 billion (USD 46 billion), which means exports would account for only 5 per cent of the
total trade.

A note on the data

This report is produced alongside an international trade report, Trade Overview 2018:
Bamboo and Rattan Commodities in the International Market, which is also available on the
INBAR Resource Centre. Readers should note that the two reports use different data.
Whereas the international Trade Overview collates information from the UN Comtrade
database, based on six-digit Harmonized System (HS) codes for bamboo and rattan products,
this report uses data from Chinese Customs using eight-digit national codes. Because China
has a greater number of HS codes to classify bamboo and rattan products compared to the
international HS codes, the figures given often differ.

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 Trade Overview 2019: Bamboo and Rattan Commodities in China

1. Exports and imports of bamboo products in China, 2019

1.1 Main bamboo products traded by China

In 2019, China exported USD 2.13 billion worth of bamboo products. Of these, bamboo
kitchenware accounted for USD 904 million, 42 per cent of the total, followed by bamboo
shoots (USD 274 million; 13 per cent) and woven bamboo products (USD 270 million; 13 per
cent). Exports of bamboo-based panels, articles of daily use, and furniture each exceeded USD
100 million. Charcoal, culms, viscose fibres, building materials and pulp and paper items
accounted for less than USD 100 million in exports. (See Figure 1.)

Bamboo culms, Bamboo viscose fibre, Others,

61, 3% 57, 3% 39 , 2%
Bamboo charcoal,
84, 4%

Bamboo
furniture, 118, 5% Bamboo
kitchenware, 904,
Bamboo articles of 42%
daily use, 136, 6%

Bamboo-based
panels, 189, 9%

Woven bamboo Bamboo shoots,

products, 270, 13% 274, 13%

Figure 1: China’s bamboo product exports in 2019 (unit: million USD; per cent).

In 2019, China imported USD 11.26 million worth of bamboo products. Of these, the import
value of woven bamboo products was USD 2.2 million, accounting for 19 per cent of total
imports, followed by bamboo kitchenware (USD 2.02 million; 18 per cent), bamboo culms
(USD 1.62 million; 14 per cent), bamboo-based panels (USD 1.53 million; 14 per cent) and
charcoal (USD 1.2 million; 11 per cent). Bamboo shoots, furniture, viscose fibres and articles
of daily use each accounted for around USD 600,000, or about 5 per cent. (See Figure 2.)

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 Trade Overview 2019: Bamboo and Rattan Commodities in China

Bamboo articles of Others,

Bamboo viscose daily use, 437, 4% 51, 0%
fibre, 562, 5%
Woven bamboo
products, 2,193, 19%
Bamboo furniture,
766, 7%

Bamboo
shoots, 876, 8% Bamboo kitchenware,
2,023, 18%

Bamboo charcoal,
1,202, 11%

Bamboo-based Bamboo culms,

panels, 1,531, 14% 1,620, 14%

Figure 2: China’s bamboo product imports in 2019 (unit: 1,000 USD; per cent).

1.2 Main trade markets for China’s bamboo products

In 2019, the EU, the USA and Japan were the main importers of Chinese bamboo products,
importing USD 523 million (25 per cent), USD 393 million (18 per cent), and USD 336 million
(16 per cent), respectively. Collectively, these three countries accounted for nearly 60 per
cent of China’s total bamboo export market. The other main importing countries were India,
Vietnam, the Taiwan Province of China, South Korea and Australia. (See Figure 3.)

Key export partners Key import partners

EU 523 Viet Nam 2,717

USA 393 EU 2,229

Japan 336 Taiwan (China) 2,226

India 99 Myanmar 1,029

Viet Nam 87 China 889

Taiwan (China) 76 Japan 750

South Korea 72 Indonesia 710

Australia 53 South Korea 147

Thailand 53 Croatia 146

Indonesia 36 USA 94

Figure 3: Main trade partners of Chinese bamboo products in 2019 (unit: million USD).

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 Trade Overview 2019: Bamboo and Rattan Commodities in China

In 2019, the top three exporters of bamboo products to China were Vietnam (exporting USD
2.72 million), the EU (USD 2.23 million) and the Taiwan Province of China (USD 2.23 million),
accounting for 24 per cent, 20 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively, of China’s total imports
of bamboo products. These three exporters together constituted 64 per cent of China’s total
imports. Other importing countries included Myanmar, Japan and Indonesia, which each
exported more than USD 500,000 worth of bamboo products.

1.3 Trade trends regarding Chinese bamboo products

The value of bamboo products imported by China increased from USD 1.23 billion in 2010 to
USD 2.13 billion in 2019, as Figure 4 shows.

2,121 2,132
1,997
1,812 1,857 1,804
1,672 1,714
1,501

1,225

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Figure 4: China’s bamboo exports from 2010 to 2019 (unit: million USD).

The value of bamboo products imported by China fluctuated between 2012 and 2016, as can
be seen in Figure 5.

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 Trade Overview 2019: Bamboo and Rattan Commodities in China

14,519
13,163

11,260
10,325
9,642

7,748
6,934 7,056
6,449 6,082

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Figure 5: China’s bamboo imports between 2010 and 2019 (unit: 1,000 USD).

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 Trade Overview 2019: Bamboo and Rattan Commodities in China

2. Exports and imports of rattan products in China, 2019

2.1 Main rattan products traded by China

In 2019, China exported USD 93 million worth of rattan products. The vast majority of these
were woven rattan products, which accounted for USD 86.8 million, or 93 per cent of the total
exports. Rattan cane (USD 3.5 million; 4 per cent) and rattan furniture (USD 2.8 million; 3 per
cent) constituted a much smaller proportion of the total. (See Figure 6.)

Rattan cane, Rattan furniture,

3.5, 4% 2.8, 3%

Woven rattan
products, 86.8, 93%

Figure 6: China’s rattan product exports in 2019 (unit: million USD; per cent).

In 2019, China imported USD 23.1 million worth of rattan products. The majority of this was
rattan cane (USD 15.9 million, accounting for 69 per cent of total imports), followed by woven
rattan products (USD 4.7 million; 20 per cent) and rattan furniture (USD 2.5 million; 11 per
cent). (See Figure 7.)

Rattan furniture,
2.5, 11%

Woven rattan
products, 4.7, 20%
Rattan cane,
15.9, 69%

Figure 7: China’s rattan product imports in 2019 (unit: million USD; per cent).

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 Trade Overview 2019: Bamboo and Rattan Commodities in China

2.2 Main trade markets for China’s rattan products

The EU and the USA are the main importers of China’s rattan products, purchasing USD 40.4
million (43 per cent) and USD 32.3 million (34 per cent), respectively, in 2019. Together, these
regions made up nearly 80 per cent of the export market in 2019. Singapore, Japan, Canada,
Australia, Mexico and Malaysia were also key importers of Chinese rattan products, each with
a value of USD 1 million or more. (See Figure 8.)

Malaysia and Indonesia are the key trading partners of China’s imported rattan products. In
2019, the total value of rattan products imported by China from Malaysia and Indonesia was
USD 7.8 million and USD 5.8 million, respectively, accounting for 34 per cent and 25 per cent
of China’s total rattan product imports. They were followed by the Philippines and the EU,
with values of USD 3.5 million and USD 2.9 million, respectively, making up 15 and 12 per
cent. Vietnam, Myanmar and Singapore are also important trading partners. (See Figure 8.)

Key export partners Key import partners

EU 40.4 Malaysia 7.8

USA 32.3 Indonesia 5.8

Singapore 3.8 Philippines 3.5

Japan 3.6 EU 2.9

Canada 2.2 Viet Nam 1.0

Australia 1.9 Myanmar 0.8

Mexico 1.1 Singapore 0.5

Malaysia 1.0 Timor-Leste 0.2

South Korea 0.8 China 0.2

Hong Kong SAR 0.7 Congo (DRC) 0.2

Figure 8: The main trading partners of Chinese rattan products in 2019 (unit: million USD).

2.3 Trade trends of Chinese rattan products

The total value of rattan products exported by China largely declined between 2010 and 2016.
However, a small upturn began in 2018, as Figure 9 shows.

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 Trade Overview 2019: Bamboo and Rattan Commodities in China

123 119
103
96
90 87
84
78
64 63

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Figure 9: China’s bamboo exports from 2010 to 2019 (unit: million USD).

The value of rattan products imported by China has fluctuated in recent years, reaching a
peak of USD 38 million in 2011 and a low point of USD 16.1 million in 2016. It has been
relatively stable over the past three years, with an increase of about 8 per cent from 2018 to
2019. (See Figure 10.)

38

33 34

27 28

24 23
21
20

16

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Figure 10: China’s rattan product imports between 2010 and 2019 (unit: million USD).

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 Trade Overview 2019: Bamboo and Rattan Commodities in China

Annex: Main bamboo export partners of China

Table 1. Bamboo products exported from China to the EU in 2019

unit: million USD, per cent

Product category Export value Percentage

Bamboo kitchenware 191 36.4

Woven bamboo products 91 17.4
Bamboo furniture 55 10.5
Bamboo shoots 55 10.5
Bamboo articles of daily use 53 10.1
Bamboo-based panels 35 6.7
Bamboo culms 26 5.0
Bamboo panels for construction 10 1.8
Bamboo pulp and paper articles 4 0.8
Bamboo charcoal 2 0.4
Bamboo viscose fibres 1 0.2
Bamboo handicrafts 0 0.0
Total 523 100

Table 2. Bamboo products exported from China to the USA in 2019

unit: million USD, per cent

Product category Export value Percentage

Bamboo kitchenware 136 34.6
Bamboo-based panels 90 23.0
Woven bamboo products 43 11.0
Bamboo furniture 35 8.8
Bamboo articles of daily use 33 8.3
Bamboo shoots 29 7.3
Bamboo panels for construction 13 3.4
Bamboo culms 8 1.9
Bamboo charcoal 4 0.9
Bamboo pulp and paper articles 3 0.7
Bamboo viscose fibres <1 0.1
Bamboo handicrafts <1 <0.1
Total 393 100

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 Trade Overview 2019: Bamboo and Rattan Commodities in China

Table 3. Bamboo products exported from China to Japan in 2019

unit: million USD, per cent

Product category Export value Percentage

Bamboo shoots 142 42.2
Bamboo kitchenware 131 39.1
Woven bamboo products 21 6.1
Bamboo charcoal 20 5.9
Bamboo-based panels 8 2.4
Bamboo articles of daily use 6 1.8
Bamboo culms 4 1.2
Bamboo furniture 3 1.0
Bamboo pulp and paper articles 1 0.2
Total 336 100

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