THE PROVINCE of South Cotabato will hold the Mindanao Bamboost Forum: The South Cotabato Experience in Koronadal City on Aug. 7 to convene bamboo champions, partner government agencies, and industry players.
During the Habi at Kape media forum on July 29, Mahintana Foundation Inc. executive director Liza Duropan-Lopez said the event will focus on the development of the value-added chain for bamboo since it has become a growing industry in Mindanao.
Lopez added that experts and industry leaders will be invited to share insights as bamboo is a valuable and sustainable resource widely used for products such as soap, cotton, apparel, furniture, textiles, and others.
Tyron Jann Villanueva, provincial LEDIPO under the South Cotabato Economic and Investment Promotion Center, said the forum will also establish the market for bamboo in terms of its industry potential.
“In the province of South Cotabato, we see bamboo as one of our economic drivers. So we just need to push the idea of having bamboo as one of the priorities in our development,” Villanueva said.
South Cotabato is also poised to become the “Bamboo Corridor of the South,” focusing on sustainable industry development and innovative housing and infrastructure.
According to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Industry Strategic Science and Technology Plan Information System, the Philippines has a total of 39,000 – 53,000 hectares of bamboo stands found in riverbanks of forest lands and some in private properties.
The bamboo industry has also faced challenges, namely insufficient raw materials, limited technology, marketing strategies, and others.
