Rayon Dyer, Gleaner Writer
ROGER CLARKE, Minister of Agriculture, said the time had come for Holland Bamboo Avenue in St. Elizabeth to be restored to its former glory. He said the avenue, which is a tourist attraction, should not be allowed to deteriorate. He was speaking at a short ceremony during a tour of the world famous tourist attraction on Friday.
Representatives from the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) Limited, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), and the Ministry of Agriculture were on hand to observe recently completed rehabilitation work on the world famous attraction.
CLEANING AND PRUNING
Over 70 per cent of the avenue has been cleaned and pruned. New bamboo roots have been planted and all the existing roots fertilised in this the completed first phase of the rehabilitation project.
The work, which began in November 2005, is a combined effort of several government agencies, including the TPDCo, NEPA, and the Ministry of Agriculture.
TPDCo provided the capital to fund the project, while the Ministry of Agriculture supplied materials, labour and supervision. Central to the project is a public education campaign, which will be undertaken by NEPA. Holland Estate donated peat to assist in the fertilisation of the bamboo roots.
LOST ITS APPEAL
The four-kilometre long attraction was established by the owners of Holland Estate and dates back to the 19th century. Once a popular tourist attraction, the avenue has in recent years lost its appeal and much of its luxuriant foliage as a result of man-made and natural disasters.
One of the plans to maintain the bamboo is that TPDCo and NEPA will continue to provide assistance.
A barb wire fencing will be erected on the northern side of the avenue to keep out stray animals, as a short-term plan to protect one of our national treasures.
