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BAGUIO CITY—The Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA) has
made Baguio its new home, launching its office here last
week after moving central operations from San Fernando,
La Union.
Cecilia
Gloria Soriano, FIDA administrator, explained the
transfer was prompted by the fact that most of the
agency’s clients are based in the Cordillera region.
But the
bigger reason is to promote abaca production itself in
the region.
Soriano
said the region is very suitable for the propagation of
abaca.
“Abaca
likes rolling terrain, the sun in the morning and lots
of rain in the afternoons,” she said. These features
characterize the Cordillera region.
Soriano
said abaca is gaining preference as a fiber material as
consumers become more biased in favor of
environment-friendly products.
“The
abaca bayong is now fashionable in Manila,” she said.
“In areas like Quezon City where plastic bags are
banned, the abaca bayong is in.”
Soriano
said it is only in the Philippines that abaca is
endemic, and that 85 percent of abaca sold and traded
throughout the world comes from the Philippines. “The
only other country growing abaca is Ecuador, and its
abaca came from the Philippines when the Spaniards
brought it there,” she said.
Philippine peso bills of 1000, 500 and 200 denominations
are made of 20-percent Philippine abaca, Soriano said,
as she ticked off the different uses of abaca.
Japanese
yen bills are made of 45-percent abaca, thus providing
the biggest export earnings for abaca shipments abroad.
Lipton tea bags are made of abaca, as well. So are
disposable diapers. Cigarette filters and some paper
materials are made of 100-percent abaca, whose raw
materials are exported to Germany for processing.
The thin
paper coating before the plastic wrap of salami,
bologna, etc. are made of abaca. Soriano said Europe
will not buy these products without these wrappings that
are edible.
Abaca
cordage (manila hemp) is also considered to be the
strongest in the world. Paper made from abaca is even
being used as strips used for HIV testing.
Two
years ago, the Philippine National Police (PNP) also
brought abaca for propagation to the Cordillera region
with the idea of replacing the marijuana trade here.
The most
promising industrial application is in car
manufacturing. Daimler-Chrsyler introduced the use of
abaca for the application of reinforced polypropylene
exterior parts on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class coupe
because it reduces weight and costs of parts and
contributes to energy-cost reduction.
The use
of abaca instead of fiberglass brought energy savings of
about 60 percent and, according to Daimler-Chrysler, it
would need 70,000 metric tons of abaca every year.
Planting
a one-hectare farm with abaca is estimated to entail
expenses of P104,658 with a projected net income of
P157,000 over a five-year time frame. Abaca costs P90
per kilo.
The
abaca industry sustains 1.5 million Filipinos, with over
200,000 farmers. A total of 146,273 hectares are planted
to abaca, with 44,717 hectares in Eastern Visayas,
44,216 hectares in Bicol and 45, 331 hectares in
Mindanao, according to a FIDA report.
In 2007,
fiber production reached 71,492 metric tons. Of this,
60,723 metric tons or 85 percent is abaca, 10,121
metric tons or 14 percent coir and 648 metric tons
other fibers. Abaca also posted total export earnings
of $79 million or P3.66 billion.
In 2007,
the country’s total fiber production was valued at
P2.259 billion, and almost 95 percent or P2.142 billion
was contributed by abaca.
The
increased demand for abaca by manufacturers resulted in
a total export earnings of $79,349 in 2007 from combined
fiber and abaca products. |
