Better ‘walis tambo’ in the offing

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Expect better "walis tambo" sold in this part of northern Luzon highland, Baguio City, and neighboring La Union in the immediate future.

This optimistic outlook for brooms made of tiger grass is based on the development of a machine that can easily remove the plant’s flower pollen.

The device can double as palay thresher, according to the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU), a multi-campus institution of higher learning in La Union.

Funded by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development (DOST-PCIERD), the project was completed under the auspices of the Ilocos Consortium for Industry and Energy Research and Development (ICIERD).

Cooperating agency is the Broom Makers’ Association of the Municipalities of Bagulin, Burgos, San Gabriel, and Santol.

PCIERD headed by Executive Director Graciano Yumul Jr. said the traditional process of removing flower pollen of mature tiger grass requires intensive labor and time because it is done through shaking and brushing the flower stalks against walls, tree trunks, and any hard surface.

The new device can remove flower pollen of 100 grass stalks in five minutes without any broken stalks. It can be assembled or disassembled to allow early transport from one place to another.

As palay thresher operated manually by two persons, the device can process 10 sacks of palay every hour. It can churn out 15 cavans in an hour when motor-powered. — RAF