At least eight Bamboo Clusters initially targeting 1,000 hectares each complete with processing facilities will be established in the eight major river basins in Mindanao to jumpstart the development of the Mindanao Bamboo Industrry which targets 1-million hectares in the next 5 to 10 years.
The Mindanao Developmen Aiuthority (MinDA) which initiated the Mindanao Bamboo Summit on Jan. 19 in Cagayan de Oro City will lead the Advisory Group composed of different government agencies which will support the program.
During the Summit, the Mindanao Bamboo industry Council (MBIC) was officially organized composed of representatives from the private sector and local governments to serve as the lead group to. undertake the program.
The Development Bank of the Philippines, represented by its President, Emmanuel Herbosa, has committed to finance the establishment of the 8 processing facilities in the 8 Bamboo Clusters estimated to cost about P150-M each for a total of P1.2-B.
The Bamboo Development Program is part of the Green Mindanao Project pushed by MinDA to protect the headwaters and watersheds of Mindanao to ensure sustainable agricultural and fisheries development.
Along with Bamboo, the Green Mindanao Project also advocates the planting of high-value Fruit Trees and harvestable tree species in the denuded highlands of Mindanao.
The areas targeted in the eighrt river basins include the vast Ancestral Domain Areas, logged over areas and former mining concessions which have been left bare.
The program is guided by the philosophy that for any regreening program to succeed, the activities must also provide the stakeholders economic benefits.
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