The Department of Trade and Industry on Wednesday urged Iloilo farmers to embark on bamboo growing given the increasing demand.

Engr. Jonathan Tejida, the supervising trade industry development specialist of DTI, said the demand for bamboo is for construction purposes, especially with the sprouting of micro, small and medium enterprises producing “bahay kubo.”

“Technically, the industry is progressive. We cannot think of it as a dying industry; we are progressing because of the support of the government and the community,” he said in a media conference.
Citing the recent data from the Municipality of Maasin, Tejida said there are around 3,900 hectares of bamboo plantations within and outside the local government.

During the first half of the year, some 19,000 bamboo poles were sourced from the municipality.

Tejida said they will conduct an inventory to capture the picture of the industry in Iloilo.

Meanwhile, the agency will hold a tree planting activity on Sept. 18 in Alimodian, to celebrate Bamboo Month this September.

Various bamboo products will also be showcased during the second day of the Artesanias de Iloilo on Sept. 24.

There will be food tasting of food products out of bamboo shoots, a bamboo-weaving craft demonstration, and a bamboo product competition in partnership with the Iloilo Bamboo Industry Development Council.

“The product competition seeks to inculcate among producers that they need to introduce new products every year. We have continuous assistance with the help of the Iloilo Bamboo Industry Development Council,” Tejida added.

He said that last month, the Local Economic Development and Investment Promotion (LEDIP) Center of Iloilo province conducted a three-day Bamboo Craft Enhancement Training for the members of the Maasin Bamboo Association in Barangay Tubang, Maasin, Iloilo.

DTI also approved two shared service facilities for the bamboo industry in Maasin to improve their bamboo handicrafts. (PNA)