Giant Bamboo Advocacy! Negros Occ. Town Eyes P1-B/Yr Bamboo Industry

Yesterday, I took an 8-hour land trip to Malaybalay, Bukidnon from Kidapawan City and back to join a delegation from Cauayan, Negros Occidental, led by its Mayor John Ray Tabujara, in an exposure trip to the Giant Bamboo Industry of Mindanao.
Cauayan, one of the towns of Negros Occidental which faced insurgency problems in the past, is often flooded and last month, Mayor Tabujara reached out to me through our common friend, gamefowl breeder Lance dela Torre, to ask for help in the development of the town’s bamboo industry.
The Cauayan delegation first visited the multi-million modern bamboo processing of the Bukidnon Giant Bamboo Resources Corp. in Aglayan, Malaybalay before visited the Bamboo Nursery of Myrna Decipulo, the acknowledged Mother of the Giant Bamboo Program in the Philippines.
BGBR President Bob Tinsay briefed the delegation on the economic potentials of Giant Bamboo farming emphasizing that one hectare of full-grown Giant Bamboo could earn the farmer P1-M per year.
The beauty of Bamboo farming, he said is that the bamboos continuously grows and each hectare could employ at least two workers.
In Myna Decipulo’s nursery, the Cauayan delegation was impressed by the sight of large Giant Bamboo poles which reach maturity three years after the emergence of the shoots.
Mayor Tabujara said his town targets an area of at least 1,000 hectares, especially the rolling and undulating portions of the town to start an industry which could earn his farmers at least P1-B every year while at the same time mitigate flooding which occurs every year.
Cauayan will hold an orientation on Bamboo Farming and Processing first week of March and I will bring in the experts from Mindanao to help them.

#TheDreamNeverDies!
#GreenPhilippinesAdvocacy!
(Video by Kath Francesca Bahinting)