September 22, 2025 · The province of Laguna pledges to industrialize its bamboo industry to strengthen the supply chain and ensure long-term support for local producers. The proposal empowers the industry from the grassroots, identifies areas for planting, ensures training and technology transfer, and engages the youth in farming.
“With the support of the DOST [Department of Science and Technology], we aim to boost livelihoods through the bamboo sector. Since we already have the University of the Philippines Los Baños and other science institutions here in the province, we might as well maximize their expertise to benefit our people,” Provincial Board Member Karla Monica Adajar-Lajara, Chairman of the committee on agriculture, told the BusinessMirror.
DOST-FPRDI Director Rico J. Cabangon also shared that the bamboo industry already rakes in approximately PHP 100 million annually in Laguna, and hopes to grow it further through this proposal.
“Laguna is already exporting bamboo poles. But instead of exporting raw materials, why not process them here, add value, and strengthen the industry further?” he added.
