Modern biotech eyed to save Abaca industry

Hopes of saving the country's Abaca fiber industry lies on modern biotechnology as government agriculturist attempts to produce genetically modified abaca to save the endemic crop.

The Fiber Industry Development Authority has intensified research and development with the National Institute of Molecular Biology to come up with a genetically modified abaca to stop the continuous spread of three major diseases.

Though abaca plantations in Central Visayas is not yet infected with diseases, abaca mosaic, abaca bunchy top virus and abaca bract mosaic, two neighboring regions are deeply affected, Eastern Visayas and the Bicol Region.

The top three abaca producing regions are Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Caraga region.

According to the recent statements relayed to FIDA7, national administrator Cecile Gloria Soriano said that the rapid infection of abaca can be effectively stopped through modern biotechnology, by producing disease free breed of abaca.

Conventional government efforts in saving the abaca industry have limitations, Soriano said.

She said that only a newly produced genetically modified abaca can resist the abaca bunchy top virus (ABTV) to maintain high production output.

A bio engineered abaca, Soriano said, is a coat protein mediated which can resist the multiplication of virus in it's system even when bitten by a virus infected aphid which is a major carrier of the virus.

Through modern biotechnology, she said diseases can be easily determined and to further prevent infection and spread in the open fields.

The demand for abaca and it's products remained high.

Exports of raw abaca fibers generate average annual earnings of $76 M to $4.2 billion and an estimated 1.5 million Filipinos depend on abaca for a living.

Abaca remains as a major dollar earner, with the Philippines providing 85 percent of the world supply.