Mindanao Bamboo Industry Development Council to be organized in 2021
By MB Online
The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) will initiate the organization of the Mindanao Bamboo Industry Development Council next year to push the Green Mindanao Project, which promotes environment-friendly agricultural production.
In a statement, MinDA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said that the establishment of the Bamboo Council supports the move of the private sector with the recent establishment of a bamboo processing facility in Malaybalay, Bukidnon Province.
“The Bukidnon Giant Bamboo Resources Corp. (BGB) has established post-harvest facilities for bamboo "to treat, dry and process into slats, while doing integrated production from plantation to manufacturing of finished engineered bamboo products, such as lumber/beams and boards, building materials (doors, jambs, mouldings, etc) and furniture using the most modern technology in the wood-working industry," he said.
He said Roderico R. Bioco, the BGB chairman, has shared to him the information about the bamboo processing facility which they have established in Malaybalay.
“After the informal briefing, I and Bioco agreed to work on the organization of the Mindanao Bamboo Industry Development Council to fully utilize the facilities and in the process boost the development of bamboo farming in Mindanao,” Piñol said.
Piñol said that Bioco told him that starting with its bamboo innovation center in Aglayan, BGB is expanding postharvest and manufacturing facilities in Impasugong, Talakag, Cabanglasan, and Manolo Fortich (Bukidnon) and Claveria (Misamis Oriental).
He said Bioco told him in a text message that the core to the advocacy of BGB is engaging individual farmers and IP communities to expand bamboo propagation as an alternative source of income while able to address environmental concerns.
"BGB is also pursuing its own bamboo plantation," Piñol said.
The MinDA Secretary said the aim is to create a solid corporate platform of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) to address at least 7 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals such as reforest 100,000 hectares, mitigate the impact of global warming, improve water security and uplift the living standard of 100,000 families.
Piñol said that the organization of the Mindanao Bamboo Industry Development Council is part of the MinDA Industry Development Philosophy, which aims to develop agriculture and fisheries by organizing and uniting the stakeholders who will be assisted through financing and market access by MinDA and its partners.
He also said that ragtag farmers and fishermen's groups are now being organized and provided with technical and financial capability training then provided with access to credit and finally marketing.