Engineered bamboo may soon become a more popular material for making housing components and furniture here in the Philippines – thanks to FPRDI’s efforts at improving their quality. Also called “e-bamboo”, engineered bamboo includes a wide range of composite products manufactured by binding together bamboo strips, slats, strands, particles, fibers or veneers with a suitable glue. E-bamboo is used in different ways, often in applications similar to solid wood. Because it is man-made, it can be designed to meet specific performance requirements. It is also often stronger and less prone to warping than equivalent solid wood products. To ensure the quality of e-bamboo made in the Philippines, FPRDI started in 2010 to develop manufacturing standards for e-bamboo products, especially floor tiles. ...Read more

The search for new raw materials and technology innovation to sustain the country’s handicraft industry continues. Overexploitation has made the traditionally used raw materials unavailable, if not expensive. Fortunately, the Philippines has a wealth of untapped resources such as fruits and seeds of unfamiliar plant species which, in the hands of creative Filipino craftsmen, can become promising materials for the industry. Bio-jewel is an emerging term in commerce and refers to all non-wood products of the forests intended for handicrafts. Seeds, shells, fruits, nuts, and rustic raw materials are transformed into meticulously finished jewels with high added value such as bracelets, brooches, decors, necklaces, rings, pendants, earrings, bangles, among others, especially when combined with other materials such as plastic beads and animal parts. These are in demand in the export market particularly in the US and Europe. Botanically, fruit is the mature ovary including all its related parts, while seed is the mature ovule consisting of an embryonic plant together with a stored food, all surrounded by a protective coat technically known as testa. ...Read more

The Anao Ylang-ylang Multi-purpose Cooperative in Anao, Tarlac is all set to conquer the Korean market, thanks to an improved 100-kg capacity essential oil extractor from FPRDI. ...Read more

It was a dream made possible, not only thru passion and hard work, but by a technology offered by DOST’s Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI). Carlos Betito, 68, used to work as a carpenter in Manila when he was 18. Dead set at having his own furniture shop in Naga City, Betito used what he learned from his five years of work when he established the BT2 Furniture in 1985. With products that include office and residential furniture among others, BT2 started off with just six workers. The innate managerial and marketing skills of Betito proved to do his business good as his shop became one of the most well-known furniture stores in Camarines Sur. Despite the early success, however, some of BT2’s clients complained about the quality of the products. ...Read more