FIBER INNOVATION HUB. Personnel of the DOST-PTRI visit the municipality of Vintar in Ilocos Norte on Tuesday (April 16, 2024), presenting some finished products out of tropical fabric. To engage local communities in fiber processing, a Bamboo Textile Fiber Innovation Hub will be established in Vintar soon. (Photo courtesy of Vintar LGU)
LAOAG CITY – The Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI) is eyeing to establish a Bamboo Textile Fiber Innovation Hub (BTFIH) in Vintar, Ilocos Norte to engage local communities in fiber processing.
Dr. Teresita A. Tabaog, DOST 1 Regional Director, confirmed this during her recent visit to the municipality of Vintar town, identified with a great potential to produce bamboo textile products apart from other common uses of bamboo for handicraft making and as construction materials.
“This is a welcome development for our town as this will further boost our bamboo industry,” said town mayor Richard Degala in a media interview on Friday.
According to Degala, the town is gifted with existing bamboo plantations currently being taken care of by farmers' associations.
Vintar town is the largest municipality in terms of land area in Ilocos Norte, covering 62,482 hectares. Of this, farmer associations maintain over 5,000 bamboo clumps apart from those that thrive in mountainous areas.
As of this posting, many farmer associations in the area have already signified their intent to cooperate with the project, but the DOST has yet to identify the beneficiary.
According to the DOST, Vintar town was identified as the site of the fiber innovation hub for having community-based bamboo farms managed by farmers' associations.
“The project is from bamboo to fiber with the project beneficiary. All the output will be bought by the DOST, including the processing equipment, provision of training, and other technical support and assistance. Only the production area will be the counterpart of Vintar,” said Gerald Gabriel, science research specialist of the DOST-Ilocos Norte, on Friday.
To complement the project, a Regional Handloom Weaving Innovation Center will also rise in the same town this year to promote the country’s tropical fabrics.
Other areas for the weaving innovation center include Mangatarem in Pangasinan, Paracelis in Mountain Province, Signal Village in Taguig City, Maragondon in Cavite, Pandan in Catanduanes, and San Remigio in Antique. (PNA)
