When people talk about farm production, these crops come to mind: rice, corn, banana, mango, cacao, coconut, and coffee. Most farmers don’t think of abaca, which has the potential of becoming the country’s prime export.
The Philippines hold the distinction of being the abaca capital of the world. The reason for this: the country accounts for about 85% of the total world abaca fiber production. Such market dominance has made abaca one of its top dollar earners.
The good news is that the world market is brighter as ever. The demand for abaca fiber is high and so is the price. “You can earn as much as P120 per kilogram in abaca now, which is a clear at least P1,000 income for every 10 kilos harvested per day,” Kennedy T. Costales, the executive director of the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFida), was quoted as saying by Business Mirror.
Another good news: there is a shortage of supply. That may seem bad news but it could drive farmers to plant more abaca. “The momentum in demand is there, hence, prices would not drop in 10 to 20 years times,” Costales assured.
Abaca is in great demand not only locally but also internationally. In fact, its market is “almost unlimited,” to quote the words of Alberto Fenix, an abaca advocate. Currently, there is a short supply of 25,000 metric tons in demand which the country is attempting to fill up.
Some 90% of the country’s abaca output are exported to other countries. “Everybody right now, most especially the First World countries, are conscious of the environment and are looking for substitutes petroleum-based products. And they are looking for abaca,” Costales pointed out.
Abaca is native to the Philippines and it is considered as the country’s premier fiber. “The very durable nature of abaca is not the only quality of this natural fiber that makes it in demand in the market,” said a report. “Its environment-friendly, biodegradable nature makes manufacturers, especially those in Europe, to use abaca over synthetic fibers.
“Coffee cups and tea bags are among the products that make use of abaca. These food containers highlight abaca fiber’s sanitary nature,” the report added. “Many European institutions had already adopted a policy of turning away from non-biodegradables like plastics.”
A couple of years back, Dr. Byung-Sun Kim, a principal researcher at the Korea Institute of Material Science, presented an idea on how abaca fiber can be used as roofing material for public utility jeepneys. Unlike steel, he said, abaca has lower heat conductivity that can keep temperatures cooler inside the jeep, a major benefit considering the country’s tropical warmth and humidity.
Car manufacturer Daimler-Chrysler approved the use of abaca for the exterior lining used in the car chassis of its Plymouth and Mercedes-Benz models, replacing fiberglass (since abaca is lighter yet it has the same strength). The automaker is also looking into the feasibility of using this fiber on interiors.
Compared with glass fiber, studies have shown the use of abaca fiber provided about primary energy savings of 60%, significantly reducing carbon dioxide emission. Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas which, when trap in the atmosphere, causing changes in the world’s climatic condition.
In another study posted on the website of the Philippine Textile Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology, Dr. Leslie Joy Lanticse-Diaz, chairperson of the Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering of University of the Philippines, Diliman, shared that abaca fiber shows a high tensile strength, which means it can bear up 140,686 pounds per square inch. It can also reach a maximum length of three meters.
Unknowingly, the enzyme of abaca is now being widely used in cosmetics, particularly in the production of organic, hand-crafted therapeutic skin care products such as soap and beauty cream. Abaca soap, which has anti-ageing and therapeutic properties, is now marketed in the United States, Japan, and even Europe.
It is for these reasons why abaca is now one of the most-sought natural fibers. Filipino farmers should not miss this opportunity. “The world’s leading abaca producer is the Philippines, where the plant is cultivated on 130,000 hectares by some 90,000 small farmers,” the website of Natural Fibers reported. “While the crop is also cultivated in other Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines’ closest rival is Ecuador, where abaca is grown on large estates and production is increasingly mechanized.”
The website said the Philippines produced about 60,000 tons of abaca fiber in 2007; its closest rival, Ecuador, came up only of a measly 10,000 tons. At that time, world production was valued at around US$30 million.
Now, if the country wants to produce more, farmers are urged to plant the banana-like crop. In an article published by Philippine Star, Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol of the Department of Agriculturewas aiming to cover 54,000 hectares of land.
Filipino farmers, he said, can plant abaca under coconut trees and even in marginal lands all over the country.
The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said that planting abaca has some environmental benefits.
“Erosion control and biodiversity rehabilitation can be assisted by intercropping abaca in former monoculture plantations and rainforest areas, particularly with coconut palms,” the UN food agency explained.
“Planting abaca can also minimize erosion and sedimentation problems in coastal areas which are important breeding places for sea fishes. The water holding capacity of the soil will be improved and floods and landslides will also be prevented. Abaca waste materials are used as organic fertilizer,” FAO added.
According to Costales, abaca grown as a tertiary crop in the country. “About 95% of our abaca is just intercropped with coconuts, rubber, fruit-bearing trees and other species,” he said. “The abaca is shaded, resulting in this crop’s weak growth. We’re lucky to even harvest twice a year.”
Bicol is the country’s top producer of abaca, according to the latest data released by PhilFida. Davao Region trails then Eastern Visayas, Caraga, and Northern Mindanao.
During the meeting of the Management Association of the Philippines-Agribusiness and Countryside Development Foundation, Costales said that “a better management approach is needed to help farmers take advantage of the increasing global environment consciousness that will boost abaca demand and increase abaca farmer incomes.”
Meanwhile, Piñol Piñol is eyeing to have the endemic abaca to be the country’s national plant.
“The market could even be greater if, along the declaration of abaca as National Plant, a law would also be passed which would require that all Philippine official documents like passports and travel documents, business licenses, National Bureau of Investigation and Police clearances, birth and death certificates, graduation diplomas, land titles and bonds, be printed using abaca pulp and fiber as material,” Piñol said. (To be concluded)
