P.3M granted to Abra bamboo stick makers

San Quintin, Abra – After having qualified for the Grants in Aid Program (GIA) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Talamey Rang-ay Association, a group of bamboo stick makers and farmers of Barangay Villa Mercedes has been granted an amount of P332, 700 to enhance their bamboo stick production capabilities.

This group of bamboo stick makers is from the Municipality of San Quintin, considered as one of the major bamboo stick-producing municipalities in the province.

With the project, it is expected that the quality of the group’s bamboo stick products shall be enhanced for marketability, thereby increasing their income.

“Ti San Quintin ket nalatak iti bamboo sticks production nga isu ti nainsigudan a pagbiagan dagiti agindeg. Ti produkto da ket makadanun pay sadiay Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Isabela, ken Cagayan,” the provincial government of Abra said.

Provision of Training and Equipment

The first part of the project concentrates on bamboo propagation, and thus 25 members of the association underwent training on how to cultivate bamboos.

Drexler Dela Torre of DOST-Abra said that the training, when applied, shall result in a sustainable supply of raw materials and shall serve as an alternative source of income by selling bamboo cuttings.

The group likewise received from the Department of Science and Technology-Abra equipment. The material given included a cut-off saw, electric agricultural dryer, continuous band sealer, bamboo splitter, and printing of packaging materials with label design from an in-house designer of DOST-CAR to help them produce better quality and well-packaged bamboo stick products.

How to qualify for the program?

To qualify for the program, the association has complied with all documentary requirements - a letter of intent, endorsement of the local chief executive, certificate of registration for workers' association, and a list containing the names of its officers and members.

“Proponents could be LGU, SUC, R&D consortium, organization/association, other private and government entities,” said Dela Torre.

Marketing of products through OneSTORE

To help the association in marketing their products amidst the pandemic, DOST shall enrol the product in DOST OneSTORE for wider market reach.

OneSTORE.ph, Dela Torre said is an E-commerce that operates nationwide and caters primarily to Philippine consumers which helps the DOST’s assisted MSMEs widen the scope of their target market.

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