The processing facility will provide more market-centered and environment-sensitive projects among farming communities in the Davao region.
The facility under the upscaling of Bamboo Rural Enterprise and Development (BREAD) Project of DA includes the establishment of a processing center for the production and commercialization of pressed bamboo or engineered bamboo that has high market demand as a substitute for wood.
Dr. Marila Corpuz, DA 11 Technical Director for Operations said that the project is part of the key strategies of the agency to establish Agri Industrial Business Corridors (ABCs) and provide farmers access to resources, including state-of-the-art production technology, capital, and value-adding facilities.
“In partnership with DSSC, we will soon have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Local Government Units (LGUs) and farmer-growers for the establishment of bamboo plantation to ensure supply of bamboo varieties for processing such as Kawayang tinik, Giant bamboo, Bolo, Botong, and Bayog. Farmer-beneficiaries will receive free seedlings and fertilizers,” Corpuz said.
The project which will be operational in September this year aims to organize 500 farmers into clusters with 20,000 hectares of consolidated bamboo farms.
DSSC, for its part will also establish a two-hectare bamboo setum and nursery that will collect and showcase different varieties of bamboo and serve as a source of good quality planting material for field planting and distribution to interested growers.
The said facility will also serve as a venue for farmers and other stakeholders skills training on Good Agricultural Practices for Bamboo Production, seedling production and processing.
The initial beneficiaries for the training on engineered bamboo are the 200 out-of-school youth from various municipalities in Davao del Sur.
“We thank our partners in the DSSC, the LGUs, DENR and other government line agencies for their full support in the implementation of this project,” she said.
She said she hopes that the partnership will be strengthened further so that the project could serve more farming communities, Corpuz said.
Photo: DA 11