Nestle Joins Bamboo Program! 1-M Has. Create 2.5-M Jobs, P300-B For Local Economy

Nestle, the multi-national company famous for its No. 1 product, Nescafe, has announced that it would start a Bamboo and Tree Planting Program in the Philippines with 2.5-million bamboo propagules targeted to be planted over 5 years.

This is a major boost to the pioneering efforts of Bamboo advocates, especially in Mindanao, of starting a major industry which would create jobs, generate dollar earnings through exports, re-green denuded highlands and mitigate flooding.

The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), the agency which I headed for two years, had actually identified the planting of Giant Bamboos in at least 9 major river basins of Mindanao as part of the Greening Mindanao Program.

Before I resigned, the Mindanao Bamboo Industry Development Council had been organized with Engr. Rod Bioco of the Bukidnon Giant Bamboo Resources Corp. as chairman.

Other regional councils had been activated.

In my personal capacity as a farmer and re-greening advocate, I had been sending Giant Bamboo Propagules to a nursery in Cabagan, Isabela Province owned by a group of friends.

The Bamboo Valley Corp. is now working with Gov. Rodito Albano and Vice Gov. Bojie Dy to supply Bamboo Propagules both for the provincial project and for Aboitiz Power Corp. for planting in the Magat Dam Area.

Isabela aims to plant 1-million Giant Bamboos in the critical watersheds and along the banks of the might Cagayan River for flood mitigation.

I have also designed another Bamboo Development Program for my home province of North Cotabato where my nursery will be engaging land owners by giving them 200 propagules each to be planted in one hectare of land which I would later buy back.

We have identified two areas – the Arakan Valley, the PALMA Complex towns and I am targeting at least 3,000 hectares which would be good enough to supply bamboo poles for three processing facilities.

Right now, my farm, Braveheart Farm and Nursery, is buying all available propagules from the group of bamboo farmers in Bukidnon for propagation and distribution.

The participation of Nestle, a multi-national corporation, in the Bamboo Program would certainly boost the industry which is being pioneered by BGBR led by Bioco, Bob Tinsay and Roger Navarro and Bamboo advocate Myna Decipulo, all of Bukidnon.

The Bamboo Program which I am involved with targets 1-million hectares of Giant Bamboo farms which would directly provide jobs to about 2.5-million Filipinos in the countryside.

By creating jobs in the countryside, we would decongest the cities and maybe in the future, there would be no need for our people to search for jobs abroad.

The industry is also expected to generate about P300-B every year from the sale of products made out of Bamboo.

#PagkainAtTrabahoSaPilipino!

#KungGustoMaramingParaan!

(Photos in this post were either downloaded from public websites or taken in my nursery and the Bamboo Valley Corp. nursery in Cabagan, Isabela.)