DA unit urging Leyte, Samar farmers to plant abaca

MANILA, Philippines - The Fiber Industry and Development Authority  (FIDA) is engaging abaca farmers in typhoon-damaged Leyte and Samar provinces to intercrop abaca with other crops like coconut to recover production losses caused by the onslaught of typhoon Yolanda.

The FIDA is replicating the success of its abaca integration program in the Bicol region to typhoon-hit Visayan provinces to help farmers revive production  and conform to global production standards.

FIDA’s ‘Enhancing Productivity of Abaca Farms in Bicol through Integrated Farming System” also known as Abakayamanan, was previously implemented in San Roque, Maliliput, Albay and Gubat, Sorsogon.

The project received a P1.8-million funding from the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR). The program has raised farmers’ income in two pilot areas by P14,400 per 1,000 square meters.

 â€œWe may be able to duplicate Abakayamanan in Tacloban City.  Even prior to Yolanda, Leyte and Samar are the biggest provinces in abaca production,” said FIDA’s Dr. Editha O. Lomerio, also the Abakayamanan project head.

BAR director Nicomedes P. Eleazar wants Abakayamanan to be implemented in other abaca-producing provinces.

“We can have a holistic approach in our abaca production through Abakayamanan,” he said.

The replication of the Abakayaman project in Leyte-Samar is seen to enhance the marketing of quality abaca manufacturing in the Philippines, especially now that several abaca manufacturers in the country have obtained certification for sustainable production systems from New York-based Rainforest Alliance.

Abaca manufacturer Glatfelter (Germany), for instance, which has an abaca manufacturing plant in Barrio Maria Cristina, Balo, Lanao Del Norte has obtained a FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) from Rainforest Alliance.

Glatfelter manages Newtech Pulp, a producer and exporter of abaca pulp.The company has been teaching its constituent farmers to plant trees sustainably. 

The firm manufactures composite fibers, specialty papers, and engineered products made from abaca.

Local abaca products that are Rainforest Alliance Certified could gain access to more foreign  markets and fetch a higher buying price.