LOS BAÑOS, Laguna -- To promote the use of bamboo and strengthen the bamboo industry, the Forestry and Environment Research Division of PCAARRD held a five-day training workshop at the PCAARRD headquarters recently.
Titled as "Sustainable Small and Medium-Scale Bamboo Enterprises for the Green Economy,” the training-workshop was attended by representatives from state colleges and universities and other government agencies across the country.
The training-workshop aimed to equip the participants with basic business know-how in setting up and operating a micro, small, or medium-scale enterprise (MSMEs) based on bamboo resources.
Participating agencies are also expected to impart these know-how to their constituents and MSMEs in their respective areas.
Experts from the College of Forestry and Natural Resources (CFNR) and Department of Agribusiness Management (DAM) of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB); Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) served as resource persons.
Speakers from the private sector, on the other hand, came from FilBamboo Exponents, Inc. and the Philippine Bamboo Foundation.
Considered by local forest scientists as "poor man's lumber," bamboo provides livelihood for about 1.5 billion people worldwide. Currently, the Philippines ranks as the sixth biggest exporter of bamboo products in the world, mainly exporting to Europe, North America, Mexico, Canada, China, Singapore, South Korea, and Australia. Locally, the demand for bamboo is expected to rise following the depletion of timber resources and the strict implementation of Executive Order No. 23, which bans logging in natural forests.
Angelito Exconde of ERDB highlighted the local demand of bamboo for construction, fishing, mariculture, handicrafts, and food during the workshop.
“More than 10 million bamboo poles are required for the construction, fishing, and mariculture industries nationwide,” Exconde said. “The Philippines has an opportunity to dominate the market as China, the top exporter of bamboo, is running out of bamboos within five years,” he added.
Aside from the economic advantage of bamboo, Edgardo Manda, president of the Philippine Bamboo Foundation emphasized bamboo's impact on the environment, as it sequesters 400% more CO2 from the air and generates up to 35% more oxygen compared with other trees.
At the end of the workshop, the participants developed a business plan that include the details about the enterprise, the financial and marketing plan, and an implementation plan.