TACLOBAN CITY –The bamboo industry will be providing a greener, sustainable economy for local bamboo propagators in the region as the Department of Science and Technology Eastern Visayas scales up innovation that will result in value added bamboo products.
Bamboo grows sporadically or in patches in backyards, riverbanks, forest lands and some in private lands but rarely in pure commercial stands. However, as with any industry, bamboo requires a balance between supply and demand.
DOST-8 Assistant Regional Director Marilyn O. Radam said they are pushing to reinvigorate the bamboo industry in the region this year recognizing that with the help of science and technology this indigenous commodity can propel bamboo propagators and developers more economic upliftment.
“We would like to push the upgrading of the bamboo industry in the region by helping our farmers establish bamboo plantations utilizing science and technology application so they may produce more value added products,” Radam said.
In 2024, DOST-8 funding support to bamboo propagators and developers in Samar for the establishment of a bamboo laboratory that produces planting materials for bamboo species that are economically viable for production such as for textiles and construction.
Beyond traditional uses, value-added products for bamboo includes furniture, paper and bioplastics through technology integration using advanced manufacturing techniques like engineered bamboo, CNC machining, and bamboo-based composites.
After the establishment of bamboo plantation producing the right bamboo species, the DOST-8 plans to help in investments on modern bamboo processing units for better efficiency and product quality.
This, according to DOST, will go hand in hand in capacitating farmers to implement responsible harvesting practices to maintain ecological balance.
Technological innovations for the bamboo industry is part of DOST’s commitment to a sustainable future by continuously developing innovations that are eco-friendly and relevant.
In the bamboo profile of DOST, bamboo is one of the most economically significant non-timber forest products globally. It belongs to the family of grasses, Gramineae or Poaceae, and is a high-value crop given its many uses involving food and material for buildings, bridges, and furniture.
(AHLETTE C. REYES,PIA-8)
