DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is in talks with various sectors in a bid to develop new bamboo products.

DTI Region 3 Director Blesila A. Lantayona, who is the national bamboo champion of the department, met with the Davao Region stakeholders recently to discuss about the holistic approach in developing the bamboo industry.

Lantayona said that every part of the bamboo plant could be processed into various by-products.

“Bamboo has vast by-products. We can produce toothpick out of bamboo trimmings and home decorations from various parts,” she said.

Lantayona added that with the signing of Executive Order (EO) 879 which created the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Framework, the stakeholders are aided and supported as they craft measures towards their goal of unleashing the utmost potential of the industry.

It is estimated that the present international market for industrial bamboo products is valued at around $10 billion and projected to reach $17 billion by 2017.

DTI Region 11 Director Marizon S. Loreto said EO 879 will help the country corner some of this multi-billion-peso world market.

“In Region 11, most of our bamboo produce are marketed or sold as poles for banana plantations. We have to make our farmers understand that there’s more in bamboo, that there more products that can be derived from bamboo,” she said.

Democracy M. Icawalo, a maker of bamboo products such as lamps, picture frames, floor tiles, and other home decorations, said that charcoal from bamboo is even superior to that of wood.

While bamboo plantation owner Rey Millan offered his farm as a benchmarking venue for bamboo production.

“I’ve been planting bamboo for 25 years now. If DTI has clients who want to see how a bamboo farm operates and how productive it is, you can bring them to my farm in Tagum City,” he said.

If the clients’ interest is on bamboo by-products, they can be brought to Icawalo’s production site in Kidapawan City.