BAMBOO has gone a long way in providing various livelihood opportunities, particularly for those living in the countryside.
Engineered bamboo, as one of its most recent products, is now being used in many high-end homes, offices, and even hotels around the world, because it is considered stronger and less prone to warping than equivalent solid woods.
A wide range of products from bamboo can also be made by binding together bamboo veneers, strands, fibers, strips or slats, woven mats, or flattened bamboo with a suitable glue to form a composite material designed to meet specific needs.
Following this development, the Central Philippines State University (CPSU) in Barangay Camingawan, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, has started producing engineered bamboo products in its effort to create industries in the countryside, as well as provide a learning laboratory for its students.
According to CPSU President Dr. Aladino C. Moraca, the project is in line with several strategies being implemented in the state university which aims to utilize and maximize local resources for revenue generation, develop practical and appropriate technologies to create industries in the rural areas, and tap multi-sectoral support and participation to showcase the best practices in agriculture.
Due to this effort, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) provided some P2,982,840.00 worth of bamboo processing facility to the CPSU, which is under a shared service agreement with local bamboo craftsmen and growers, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the local government of Kabankalan City, and the Negros Occidental Bamboo Industry Development Council.
The grant is composed of two units of bamboo pole cutter, a twin rip saw, wood-fired Dutch furnace, jointer planer, thickness planer, lamenting press with pneumatic cylinder, single spindle moulder with feeder, circular saw with sliding table, band saw, bench drill, wide belt sander, air compressor, dust collector single bag, universal sharpener for circular saw, and a grinder for planer knives.
“The DTI provides the equipment as a shared service facility (SSF) wherein groups of entrepreneurs will be able to use it under the management of our co-operator – the CPSU,” said DTI Region-6 Director Rebecca M. Rascon.
For his part, CPSU Bamboo Project Manager Wendel Pangaral says the SSF is an income generating project which is expected to provide a laboratory for the university students, employment for the operators, entrepreneurs, and bamboo growers.
“The SSF is also expected to foster strong collaboration with the community and partner agencies,” Pangaral pointed out.
A wide range of products from bamboo can be made by binding together bamboo veneers, strands, fibers, strips or slats, woven mats, or flattened bamboo with a suitable glue to form a composite material designed to meet specific needs.
Aside from being a source of raw materials for construction of houses, production of handicraft and furniture, and implementation of livelihood programs, bamboo was seen as an alternative crop which has a potential soil-trapping capability.
In particular, the roots of the giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper) can efficiently absorb excess water and bind the soil together, thus reducing soil erosion. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
