DTI urges furniture makers to make more high-end bamboo products

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is encouraging entrepreneurs to create bamboo products of high-quality design and craftsmanship during the Philippine Bamboo Showcase at the Design Center of the Philippines in Pasay City. 

 

In a press statement released on Friday, DTI secretary Gregory L. Domingo said that bamboo products with good design and high quality can be priced five or ten times higher. "It takes more effort in terms of designing and craftsmanship but that is really where we have to aspire," he said.

 

The showcase runs from September 2 to December 2 this year, coinciding with the World Bamboo Day celebration on September 18. The event also intends to showcase and feature bamboo as a main material for school furniture, construction materials, temporary shelter for families devastated by natural calamities. 

 

"I guess we have spaces allocated for full size prototype houses accompanied by visual presentations or concepts that can help mitigate the challenges brought by natural catastrophes that our country has often encountered and will continue to encounter," the DTI secretary said.

 

Philippine Bamboo Showcase, which is organized by the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Council (PBIDC),  also aims to show different bamboo products in art installations and high-end furnishings for homes, offices, and other compact spaces.

 

"This showcase is very important because it is not only a venue for designers to show their products, it is also to educate our entrepreneurs and the general public at what we can do in terms of design," added Domingo.

 

DTI assistant secretary Blesila A. Lantayona said the PBIDC is mandated to develop the country’s bamboo industry through three approaches: environmental management led by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), business development led by DTI, and the social development led by NGOs and private industry associations.

 

Planting and using bamboo to significantly contribute to the overall efforts to reduce poverty and mitigate disaster risks and climate change effects are also part of PBIDC's programs to develop the bamboo industry. — JST, GMA News