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The Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund

Introduction to Grant Projects

Association of Japan Myanmar Mutual Cooperation (NPO)

Establishing a sustainable bamboo charcoal village in Myanmar

Activity grant

Project Description

People in Myanmar's mountainous regions are jobless and poor. Deforestation and slash-and-burn agriculture have caused forest cover to reach as low as 43% in 2015, and ecosystem services are declining. Bamboo, on the other hand, is abundant in Myanmar. Despite growing demand for bamboo charcoal and bamboo vinegar as eco-friendly products for water purification, humidity control and agriculture, the people of Myanmar do not possess the skills required to make bamboo charcoal. Accordingly, Japanese charcoal craftsmen will teach the people of Myanmar's mountainous areas the traditional Japanese technique of charcoal making. The people in the mountainous areas will develop a sustainable bamboo charcoal village where they can earn cash income by exporting bamboo charcoal and bamboo vinegar through BOP business, and by maintaining bamboo forests and building bamboo kilns. A portion of the profits will be used to plant trees to restore the forests and preserve the nature, and further expand these efforts. [No. K19-0076]

Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund FY2019 Activity Grants List (PDF 470KB)

Fields
Ecosystems and the Symbiotic Society
Grant year
FY2019 Activity Grants
Grant term
2 years (April 2020 - March 2022)
Grant amount
¥7,000,000
Activity region
Republic of the Union of Myanmar
Katsuya Suehiro, a charcoal artisan, teaches the art of charcoal kiln making in Japan

Overview of the Organization

Representative: Daw SuSu Oung
Project organization
Association of Japan Myanmar Mutual Cooperation (NPO)
Representative
Secretary-General: Shigeru Oyama
Establishment
1997 (certified as an NPO in July 2000)
Establishment Purpose
  • Promote exchange between groups and people of the two countries through technology
  • Promote the Japanese and Myanmar languages
  • Training of specialists and young skilled workers
  • Other activities related to the above
Recent Activities
  • Promotion of boat building business with Myanmar Maritime University
  • Light aircraft assembly and test flights with the Aerospace Engineering University
  • Support of a seaweed farming project for the Tanintharyi fisheries cooperative
  • Support for the holding of international academic conferences (2006 and 2013)
  • Teaching cataract surgery skills
  • A wide variety of other activities
Staff
Number of Full-time employees: Tokyo: 3, Yangon: 10 / Number of Members: 250(15 organizations)
Voice of Representative
We wish to promote Japanese charcoal making techniques through exchange between Japanese charcoal makers and the Myanmar people. I hope that the bamboo charcoal will lead to a reduction in timber harvesting and help the Myanmar people to become independent and prosperous.