Kidapawan City – Backyard Giant Bamboo Nursery owners, mostly in the provinces of Bukidnon and South Cotabato, are expected to gain a windfall estimated at about P5-B from the sales of seedlings when the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) launches the Mindanao Bamboo Industry Program this year.
The earnings will not come from government but from the private sector as the Bamboo Program targets an aggregate area of 1-million hectares, mostly in the wartershed areas, logged-over and former mining areas and riverbanks in Mindanao.
The financial windfall for the nursery operators, most of whom are small farmers who gather and grow the propagules from the Giant Bamboos which are sold at P25 to P35 per seedling at farm gate, will just be the first of the many economic benefits from the MinDA-initiated Bamboo Industry Development which is one of the programs under the Green Mindanao Project.
With an estimated gross earnings of about P200,000 per hectare, the bamboo pole production alone will generate a P200-B a year income for farmers.
At two workers per hectare, the Bamboo Production Program would create 2-million farm jobs.
Added economic benefits for Mindanao would come from the added value through the bamboo processing and manufacture of construction materials and furniture.
This phase of the Bamboo Industry would also contributre to the program of creating thousands of jobs locally.
BGB Resources Corp. Chairman Rod Bioco will make the project financial presentation during the Summit while I will provide a deeper insight on the impact of the devleopment of the Bamboo Industry for the environmental protection and agriculture of Mindanao.
The other components of the Green Mindanao Project are the Agar Wood Propagation and the Environment-Friendly Farming which inntroduces the planting of industrial and fruit rrees in the denuded highlands of Mindanao.
The Giant Bamboo Program is being pushed by MinDA with the support of its financing partner, the Development Bank of the Philippines, as the demand for bamboo products soars in major world markets, including the U.S.
A critical player in the program is the Bukidnon Giant Bamboo Resources Corporation based in Malaybalay City which will buy and process the bamboos produced by Mindanao farmers.
Currently BGB Resources Corp. is exporting steam-treated bamboo slats to the U.S. and Vietnam but it plans to expand and move up to the processing of high-value bamboo products as the worldwide demand rises.
On Tuesday, Jan. 19, MinDA will convene the first Mindanao Bamboo Summit in Cagayan de Oro City to organize the Bamboo Industry Council with the DBP President, Emmanuel Herbosa, joining the face-to-face meeting with major stakeholders.
Other stakeholders and groups or individuals interested in listening to the presentations during the summit could link up through Zoom Meeting which will be streamed via Facebook.
(This video presentation was produced by the Beauty & Bounty of Mindanao Media Team for the Mindanao Development Authority.)
https://fb.watch/anxZODZ3qz/
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