by Peter A. Balocnit

Tabuk, Kalinga (27 November) -- Participants to a processing of forest products forum conducted recently here discovered that bamboo is a lucrative business venture with its many uses.

Experts from the Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) surprised the participants during the forum on the many uses of bamboo developed through the years which are now adopted as global patterns in handicraft and interior design.

Aside from its medicinal value, bamboo is also made into floor tiles, plywood, vinegar, and charcoal briquette.

Forester Robert Natividad of FPRDI presented bamboo as a raw material and its local source and distribution; material preparation like seasoning and preservation; processing technologies that includes engineered products; and FPRDI assistance services.

He said while wood is the main forest product exploited here, it is high time to learn the technologies of processing bamboo in place of wood when it becomes scarce. The wild ‘alnos' is everywhere in the province but are made into ordinary things.

Natividad explained that resting from cutting of trees would also preserve the forest cover and help control global warming. "Bamboo can be harvested after five years and processing cost is lesser than wood and has ready market", he said.

Among FPRDI's technologies are on housing, furniture and handicraft, paper and paper products, biomass energy generation, chemical products processing, The institute also offer a lot of training courses for those interested, Natividad told participants.