Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Deogracias Victor Savellano underscored the importance of bamboo in the agriculture sector, and its contribution to the national economy during the celebration of the World Bamboo Day and Philippine Bamboo Month.
Under the Executive Order (EO) No. 879, the DA is mandated to identify idle and marginalized agricultural areas suitable for bamboo plantations. The agency will also assist in establishing bamboo nurseries, and its propagation with focus on bamboo shoot production.
The event was highlighted by a bamboo planting activity at the Bambusetum in Marikina on September 18, 2023, led by the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Council (PBIDC).
The PBIDC was created to help strengthen the bamboo industry in the Philippines. Its members include several national government agencies, with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as the chair. It is composed of DA, together with the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources, Education, Science and Technology, Labor and Employment, along with the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, two representatives from non-government organizations, and one representative each from two private industry associations. ### (photos by Joseph Henry Elamparo, DA-AFID)
