Favorable weather conditions drove the country’s abaca production from January to September to 51,372.51 metric tons (MT), which is 10.4 percent higher than last year’s volume, latest government data showed.
Latest Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFida) showed that the output during the nine-month period grew by 4,822.16 MT from 46,550.35 MT recorded in the same period of 2020.
PhilFida data showed that the expansion of production in seven regions (mostly in Mindanao) carried the country’s total abaca output amid a contraction in the output of Bicol region, the top producer of the natural fiber.
“We again pray for less weather disturbances and other major calamities up to the end of the year for our farmers to reap its full harvests and benefits,” PhilFida Executive Director Kennedy T. Costales said.
Abaca production in the Bicol region during the nine-month period contracted by 7.3 percent to 16,236.26 MT from 17,511.03 MT recorded in the same period of last year.
PhilFida data showed that the abaca output in four out of the five provinces in the Bicol region declined, including Catanduanes, the country’s major producer of the natural fiber.
Abaca output in Catanduanes declined by 5.4 percent year-on-year to 13,520.35 MT while output in Albay fell by 11.7 percent on an annual basis to 1,910.85 MT, based on PhilFida data.
PhilFida data showed that abaca production in Western Visayas grew by 65.4 percent to 3,016.29 MT from last year’s 1,823.62 MT.
Abaca output in Eastern Visayas expanded by 37.1 percent year-on-year to 3,618.71 MT, while production in Northern Mindanao grew by 78.8 percent to 6,118.06 MT.
PhilFida data showed that Davao region’s abaca output expanded by 6.7 percent to 10,215.24 MT from 9,575.34 MT recorded in the January-to-September period of last year.
Abaca output in the Caraga region grew 12.6 percent year-on-year to 7,287.18 MT, while production in ARMM expanded by 11 percent to 3,993.42 MT, from last year’s 3,597.01 MT.
The BusinessMirror earlier reported that barring strong typhoons, the country’s abaca output this year might expand to a 3-year high due to robust output in the above-mentioned regions.
Costales earlier told the BusinessMirror that domestic abaca production might grow by 18.33 percent to 70,000 MT this year, particularly if the sector can sustain its double-digit growth rate in the past months.
The last time Philippine abaca production breached the 70,000-MT level was in 2018, when output reached 76,259.38 MT, based on historical PhilFida data.
Discrepancies
However, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed a contrasting picture in terms of the abaca sector’s performance during the nine-month period.
Latest released PSA data showed that abaca production from January to September declined by 12.5 percent to 46,660 MT from 53,330 MT recorded last year.
Costales said they have been having concerns with the data being released by PSA, noting that they are far from the realities on the ground. He revealed that they had engagements and dialogue with PSA in the past to discuss the discrepancies in data. However, the past discussions did not yield any positive results, Costales said.
“We do not know where the PSA is getting their figures and they have not given us any proper explanation how they get their data on abaca production,” he said.
“Our production data comes straight from the ground, which is based on the permit to transport abaca fiber. We hope that the discrepancies in the data will be resolved soon,” he added.