Japanese are Eating Chinese Forests

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Japanese are Eating Chinese Forests

Submitted by Bill Belew on Sunday, 14 May 2006No Comment

I read this morning the Japanese are eating Chinese forests.

Each year the Japanese use about 25 billion sets of wooden chopsticks – called waribashi (pronounced wah lee bah shee). That’s 200 pairs per person in Japan per year. 97% of those chopsticks come from China.

If that many pairs of chopsticks end to to end, it would take longer than a year to do…but when/if it ever got done it would go around the world about 136 times at the equator.

Chinese chopstick exports have decided to tack on a tax of 5% and are planning to raise the cost another 30-50%.

Happy are the tree huggers….unhappy are the restaurants and chopstick makers.

That many chopsticks = about $227 million in income or lack of for the Chinese when the Japanese decide to go to Vietnam, Indonesia or Russia to get their chopsticks. The Russians will NEVER run out of trees.

I believe in responsible use of the earth’s resources. Hey…I teach Environmental Analysis at a local college. But, IMHO, the tree huggers need to get a life…find something else to believe in, give their heart to, fill the void.

What do you think?

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Martey said:

The environmentalist part of me thinks that since deforestation is a major problem in China, it is reasonable that the government would attempt to contain the impact that the chopstick industry has. On the other hands, it would probably be better in the long run for all parties for sustainable logging practices to become the norm.

- 14 May 2006 at 12:53 am

panasianbiz said:

Thanks for your comments, Martey.

How right you are…too often people (activists) want the extreme..cut off one side or the other.

A relationship is important…one that can be sustained reasonably for all parties involved is best.

Thanks for visiting.

- 14 May 2006 at 12:29 pm

Daniel Collins said:

China’s not reforesting for the sake of the trees, per se. Their afforestation program is to help reduce erosion, which has big agricultural losses and flooding costs. It’s an economic decision.

- 14 May 2006 at 6:29 pm