STORY: Finnish man grows bamboo for giant pandas
SHOOTING TIME: January 2024
DATELINE: March 1, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:01
LOCATION: AHTARI, Finland
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of panda house at the Ahtari zoo
2. various of pandas
3. various of Luokkakallio working in snow
4. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JARI LUOKKAKALLIO, Bamboo grower
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): JARI LUOKKAKALLIO, Bamboo grower
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): JARI LUOKKAKALLIO, Bamboo grower
7. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): JARI LUOKKAKALLIO, Bamboo grower

STORYLINE:

In March 2018, a pair of giant pandas from China officially met the public at the Ahtari Zoo in central Finland.

In the chilly expanse of Finland's rural heartland, an ambitious endeavor took root alongside the anticipated arrival of the pair.

After Finland and China launched negotiations on the giant panda cooperation project in 2016, a group of dedicated volunteers embarked on a pioneering project of cultivating bamboo to host these iconic creatures.

However, the initial enthusiasm encountered formidable challenges in the harsh Finnish winter, where temperatures can drop to a bone-chilling minus 30 degrees Celsius.

Some of the original enthusiasts maintained their interest, though. Among them, Jari Luokkakallio, an adviser in a local agricultural support organization, has become a Finnish local expert on bamboo cultivation.

In a recent interview, Luokkakallio told Xinhua his stories of growing bamboo in Finland.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JARI LUOKKAKALLIO, Bamboo grower
"My grandsons, they're very proud when I'm growing bamboo for those Chinese pandas. Because it's a very special work. It's very nice to take the bamboo for the pandas because I think they prefer my bamboo. They are fresh. It's local food. And I think that my bamboo is the northernmost bamboo in the world. I started to grow the bamboo eight years ago."

At first, he thought that the growing environment of bamboo in China was similar to that in Finland. However, in reality, the extreme cold weather in Finland made it so hard.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): JARI LUOKKAKALLIO, Bamboo grower
"So I found out bamboos are coming from mountain areas in China. So this is a quite cold area. And I think if it's growing in the mountain area, where it is very cold and very snowy area, we can do it in Finland. We started to grow bamboo with about 50 growers. And the first year was very hard. Very hard. Because in November and December, the weather we had about minus 30 degrees and we lost every bamboo. But next year, we start again. And we understand we have to protect our bamboo better."

His hard work has paid off. Eventually, he succeeded in cultivating multiple varieties of bamboo and found the secret to protecting bamboo in extremely cold weather.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): JARI LUOKKAKALLIO, Bamboo grower
"I tried to grow bamboo of many different species. And now I found the way how to do it. The snow is the best way to protect the bamboo. Therefore, I bend down my bamboo and cover them with snow. Bamboo is an evergreen plant. And therefore, it's very important to keep the moisture of the leaves enough."

Amidst challenges, cultivating bamboo for pandas has become Luokkakallio and other growers' unwavering commitment.

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): JARI LUOKKAKALLIO, Bamboo grower   
"Nowadays, we have a couple (of) growers. And we are growing bamboo in our area mainly as a hobby. This is not a business, but we try to find out what is possible and anyhow, it's some kind of backup for the pandas' food. Because we have so nice pandas here in Finland and in Ahtari, so I decided to grow bamboo for them. "

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ahtari, Finland.
(XHTV)