The Philippine Bamboo Foundation Inc., which maintains a bamboo nursery and plantation in Dauin town, will build a temporary shelter model in Dumaguete to explore the economic viability of replicating the bamboo and concrete structure in other areas.
PBFI President Edgardo Manda said bamboo, particularly the ‘tinik’ bamboo variety, is particularly ideal for house construction. “Its tensile strength exceeds that of steel,” he said.
Experts require good tensile strength in materials for beams.
A group is showcasing the market potential of bamboo to help increase nationwide production of this grass specie so the Philippines can increasingly meet global demand for products made from such plant.
Manda raised urgency for planting more bamboo, noting the country at present accounts for a mere fraction of the estimated USD11 billion global trade of products from this specie.
“We’re producing only some USD30 million worth of bamboo products annually because our country has no bamboo resources,” he said.
He noted that government must develop a bamboo roadmap so the country can better maximize the specie’s economic benefits.
“It’ll be good if we can capture even 10 percent of the global bamboo market,” he said.
Last week, the PBFI demonstrated the specie’s potential for high-end products by opening an exhibit in Manila featuring winning entries from the First Philippine Bamboo Carving Competition.
The exhibit included entries by the competition’s first prize winner Fernando Tayaban and second prize winner David Namalmag.
Their entries can command prices exceeding US$15,000 each, authorities noted.
Authorities also estimated a USD450 price tag for a carved bamboo stool included in the exhibit.
“By presenting something tangible, we hope to motivate people to plant more bamboo,” Manda said on the side of such exhibit at Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ central office.
He said China’s bamboo farms already cover about five million hectares.
Total Philippine land area planted to bamboo is less than 100,000 hectares, however, he noted.
“Our country has no bamboo forests and what’s existing are mostly sporadic plantings only,” he said.
To help promote bamboo, Manda said PBFI is coordinating with parties concerned on establishing a 2,500-hectare bamboo demonstration farm in Nueva Ecija.
“We want to increase bamboo hectarage so people can see the specie’s potential,” he said.
He noted talks are also in progress on developing 3,000-hectare and 10,000-hectare commercial bamboo farms in Palawan and Pangasinan provinces, respectively. (PNA)