Bamboo: an alternative raw material for textiles production in Nigeria

Abstract

The textile industry was one of the most viable prior to independence, till the 1990’s.  In the early 1900’s the Kano textile industry and market experienced unprecedented growth.  Kano was producing two million roles of cloth per year.  However, in the 1990’s, the fortune of the industry dipped, and the dependants level of about 17.2 million people went down to less than 250,000.  Efforts by government to inject 100 billion naira lifeline for the resuscitation of the industry is yet to yield any commendable growth and development.  About 10 billion naira injected into the sector through 15 manufacturing outputs has not led to any significant growth rate.  Among the problems militating against sustainable development of the sector are low investments in cotton production as most of the cotton farmers are small scale rural people with little access to finance.  The yields are low due to low regimes of fertilizer and pesticides application, late planting and utilization of hand tools.  While cotton production generally is a high investment and a high yielding economic activity in the developed economies, it places  high premium on fertilizer, pesticides and water consumption, making its impact on enviromental pollution to be very high. In comparison, bamboo produces good quality textiles.  It occurs widely in Nigeria.  Presently, bamboo has little or no industrial utilization locally.  Other advantages of bamboo as a textile raw material its fast renewability, its biodegradability, its low water use and its organic status.  Bamboo fabrics are very breathable.  They have antibiotic and thermal regulating properties.  The strength properties of bamboo yarn are also superior to that of viscose and cotton.  The development of bamboo textile production industry in Nigeria will be a way forward for reviving the industry.

Keywords: textiles, bamboo, cotton, biodegradable, footprint