PLGU Quirino and DTI R2 Quirino unveil business opportunities in Bamboo Industry | Department of Trade and Industry Philippines

Cabarroguis, Quirino — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) R2 – Quirino and the Provincial Natural Resources and Environment Office (PNREO) of the Province of Quirino, conducted the “Seminar on Business Opportunities in the Bamboo Industry and Info Session on Bamboo Resources Inventory” on June 6, 2024, held at Quirino Watersports Complex, Capitol Hills, Cabarroguis, Quirino.

Ms. Anna Katrina Garcia, STIDS and DTI R2 Bamboo Coordinator, expounded on the global market opportunities for bamboo. She underscored the worldwide bamboo market is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 4.5% from 2022 to 2030 with industrial application and furniture segments dominating the global bamboo market, while the shoot segment is expected to grow with increasing demand for edible bamboo shoots. Interestingly, the Philippines takes an active role in the worldwide bamboo trade as an exporter of bamboo panels.

Ms. Garcia further highlighted the various business opportunities in the bamboo value chain, from the provision of bamboo planting materials, bamboo pole production, engineered bamboo manufacturing, biomass for energy, bamboo furniture, and handicrafts to the potential of bamboo for ecotourism.

Despite the industry’s positive global trade prospect, the Philippine bamboo industry faces challenges due to the limited supply of bamboo raw materials, and incomplete or sporadic bamboo data that are important drivers to sustain the growth and development of this local industry.

In response to the need for a reliable bamboo database, Ms. Mona Lisa Valle of DTI R2 Regional Office, introduced the project concept of the Bamboo Resources Inventory and Technology Enabled Mapping (BRITEMAP), a collaborative project of the University of the Philippines Los Banos – College of Forestry and Natural Resources (UPLB-CFNR), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD). This project has been piloted in some provinces in the country which can be replicated in the Province of Quirino to develop a comprehensive bamboo resource inventory database integrated into a mobile app and dashboard for sustainable data management.

The activity is in conjunction with the Environment Month celebration of the Province of Quirino focusing on bamboo for climate change mitigation, livelihood, and job creation in the countryside. ♦

Date of release: 03 July 2024

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