Chengdu (China), May 11 (Xinhua) A Japanese non-government foundation has resumed funding for bamboo plantation in China's southwestern province of Sichuan as part of an effort to protect the Giant pandas. Bamboo is an important food for these animals.

After a two-year suspension, the Japan-Sino Green Exchange Foundation has donated 6.5 million Japanese Yen ($63,200) Saturday to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding for planting 10 hectares of bamboo.

A male adult panda consumes more than 30 kg of bamboo every day. It costs about 60,000 Yuan ($8,500) to provide food for an adult panda each year, according to Tan Hongming, a senior Chinese expert at the base.

'Thanks to the donation, giant pandas can now enjoy their lives in China,' said Tan.

There are only 1,600 Giant pandas existing in the wild today. All of them are in the Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces of China.

This was the third donation from the organisation, established eight years ago to assist China in protecting the environment. The foundation donated similar amounts for growing bamboos in 2004 and 2005.

'We want to provide the pandas good food so that they may continue to enjoy better life in their home in Sichuan,' Yamada Tatsuo, a Japanese scholar on Chinese studies, said at the donation ceremony on behalf of the foundation.

Chinese President Hu Jintao, during his recent visit to Japan had promised to lease a pair of pandas to the country for joint research.