When most people think of bamboo, they picture a sea of tranquil green with a panda munching idly. But for farmers in the Philippines, bamboo elicits images of money and hope for their families. As the markets and demands for bamboo products from bamboo clothes to bamboo sheets continues to grow, members of the Philippine National Bamboo Congress continue to push the Philippine government for support.
The Bamboo Congress sees bamboo as the best plant to address massive poverty in the country and the World’s environmental problems. Points the Congress stresses regarding bamboo include:
1. Bamboo products include food, construction material, clothing, charcoal, source of many chemicals, and bio-fuel.
2. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on the planet.
3. Bamboo provides a true substitute for wood and is more sustainable.
4. It absorbs 35% more carbon dioxide and also emits 35% more oxygen compared to trees.
5. For the struggling farmer, bamboo is cheaper to grow and more profitable than rice.
The Bamboo Congress believes within a few years the Philippines can gain some share of China’s $15 billion bamboo export market(1).
The Bamboo Congress is lobbying the government for help in making bamboo a more viable and profitable crop for farmers large and small to grow. First, bamboo proponents want the Philippine government to quit treating bamboo as if it were a tree (harvested trees are taxed as is bamboo currently). Bamboo is a plant not a tree-though certain species of bamboo are far stronger and more rigid than trees.
A second piece of logic, dealing with crop taxation, is the government’s decision to label bamboo a natural resource like mined ores instead of like planted crops. This mislabeling forces bamboo growers to pay taxes and road block fees which severely cut profits.
The Congress also wants the government to be more proactive. Infrastructure needs to be put into place: roads making land more accessible for growers, roads for trucks to haul the harvested bamboo, as well as bridges need to be built. Ports and warehouses also need upgrades.
In an effort to spur the government, members of the Philippine National Bamboo Congress have held meetings among current and potential growers and local politicians to inform and push the positive aspects of bamboo.
It must be working; Trade Undersecretary Merly Cruz said the export potentials for bamboo-based products remained strong as ever in developed countries like the US and Europe. “That’s why we need to have a strong bamboo industry to meet the growing demand for bamboos to be used for handicrafts and furniture designed for the export markets,” Cruz said (2).
If Undersecretary Cruz is correct, shouldn’t American farmers and our government move aggressively to promote growth here as well?
References:
1. Published by Democracy Icawalo on Aug 24, 2009.
2. Philippines Latest News : Invest in Bamboo Production, Philippine Farmers Are Told. World News.
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Hi Tom,
I would like to get in touch with you so that we could do more for bamboo. Please contact me via my email address – mr8ph@yahoo.com. Looking forward to hear from you.
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