Rizome PH, an American company, has opened its $100-million engineered-bamboo manufacturing plant in Cagayan de Oro City, according to former Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol.
Piñol said in a Facebook post that Rizome PH, established in 2023, is led by former Agriculture Secretary Luis “Cito” Lorenzo Jr.
“Now fully operational, Rizome Philippines buys bamboo from farmers in Bukidnon, North Cotabato and other Mindanao provinces,” Piñol said.
The company produced the lamellar wood used in the new passenger terminal of the Mactan Cebu International Airport, Piñol quoted Lorenzo as saying.
Rizome Philippines is the second-largest engineered bamboo processing facility in Mindanao, after the Bukidnon Giant Bamboo Resources Corp. in Malaybalay City, according to Piñol.
“The national government should take cue from this development in the bamboo industry, especially so since the world market demand for engineered bamboo is expected to reach $32 billion by 2030, that is roughly 1.8 trillion pesos,” he said.
“The shift to bamboo farming will not only earn billions and provide jobs but also ensure a sustainable program for environmental protection and flood control,” he said.
Rizome PH’s website states that 80 percent of the Philippines’ lumber and wood product needs are imported. It claims its engineered bamboo products can significantly contribute to meeting the country’s growing demand for residential, commercial, and public construction projects while creating jobs and economic opportunities.
Rizome describes its engineered lumber products as “strong like steel, tough like concrete and beautiful like hardwood.”
“Designed in the USA and manufactured to meet global standards. This is not the bamboo your grandparents used to build nipa huts,” it said on its website.
