The Philippine Bamboo Foundation is setting up the biggest bamboo nursery so far in the Visayas and Mindanao in Dauin, Negros Oriental, Herbie Teodoro, PBF senior project director, said in a press release.
The nursery, which is a joint collaboration with Buglas Bamboo Institute, has total investment of P20 million for the production of at least 400,000 propagules, he added.
Teodoro said there are more than 30 species of bamboo variety that thrive well in Negros Oriental, so the nursery is being established in Dauin town.
The PBF will also conduct in-house training seminars on how to professionally create and manage bamboo plantation for interested growers, he added in the press release.
The training will be incorporated with other sustainable agricultural practices like intercropping vegetables with bamboo to serve as cash crop, he said.
Bamboo propagation also mitigates the impact of climate change, PBF president Ed Manda said during his recent visit to the Dauin nursery. He added that more than 27,000 hectares of barren military camps in Luzon will be converted into bamboo forests.
Bamboo is known as the world's tallest grass and yet, it is one of the most durable materials for building; a multipurpose plant with great environmental and economic values, he said.
Bamboo matures in three to five years and survives for 30 years. Due to its extremely high bending strength, it can be made into plywood as it is as good as the solid wood of high-density commercial timbers, the press release added.*
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