Bamboo Techno Forum and Exposition Set in Benguet

Published on June 19, 2010

By CRISLYN BALANGEN
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat.comBulatlat.com

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — To promote bamboo as a good substitute for trees and as a good livelihood, the Benguet State University (BSU) will hold the first-ever Bamboo Techno-Forum and Industry Exposition here.

This is in collaboration with Cordillera Bamboo Development Council (Corbamdev), Department of Trade and Industry-CAR (DTI-CAR), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-CAR), and Bamboo Network of the Philippines (BambooPhil).

The weeklong activity will be held from June 22-24 at the university, with the theme, “Bamboo for the people and the environment.”

The activity will feature various products from bamboo and the e-bamboo technology used in manufacturing the DepEd bamboo desk.

Forester Dante Chiochioco, dean of the College of Forestry (CF-BSU) said that e-bamboo is a term for engineered bamboo, a product utilizing bamboo as a substitute for wood. He added that the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in partnership with DTI, has already made a prototype of the said technology.

There will also be multi-media presentations, including lecture demonstrations on bamboo shoot pickle and kim-chi processing, bamboo basket weaving and bamboocraft processing.

Chichioco said the activity will also provide investment opportunities, a market encounter between the bamboo growers and users. “This is a chance to bridge the gap between the bamboo growers and the bamboo users,” he said.

Moreover, the activity aims to showcase new trends in bamboo processing; exhibit various products obtained from bamboo; provide venue for business opportunities in marketing bamboo; impart knowledge to the various stakeholders regarding the importance of bamboo fro livelihood and for the environment; and to educate the public on the various technologies on bamboo processing.

Target participants of the activity shall include the stakeholders from the 13 municipalities of Benguet, Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FRRDI), local bamboo entrepreneurs and other potential partners in bamboo development. Chichioco said that though the event is focused in Benguet, they will still be inviting other provinces in CAR like Abra to exhibit their bamboo products and technologies. (Posted by Bulatlat.com)