The country’s abaca output in January to October declined by an annualized rate of 5.3 percent, as typhoons hampered farmers’ efforts to harvest the crop.
Local abaca production during the period reached 54,049.37 metric tons (MT), 3,008.43 MT lower than the 57,057.8 MT recorded a year ago, the latest Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFida) data showed.
“The year 2022 bombarded the country with 19 typhoons so far, but not all of them made landfall. Still, (the storms) affected production in fiber-producing provinces, most especially abaca,” PhilFida Executive Director Kennedy T. Costales said.
Abaca production in the Bicol region, the country’s top producer of the natural fiber, declined by nearly 10 percent to 15,689.66 MT from last year’s 17,401.68 MT.
Catanduanes’ abaca output, the biggest producer of the fiber, fell by 13 percent to 12,636.28 MT from 14,518.87 MT, based on PhilFida data.
Costales have earlier warned that malpractices would spell the demise of the abaca industry in the Bicol region.
In January, Costales said the downward trend in the Bicol region’s abaca production is “very alarming.” He even said abaca production in the region could disappear in six to seven years if this continues.
Costales said farmers in the Bicol region practice “bacbac” or “umbak” and “pojada” harvesting, which have led to the spread of diseases and the decline in their abaca output.
PhilFida data showed that aside from the Bicol region, seven other abaca-producing regions posted declines in their output during the 10-month period. Only four regions posted increments in their production on a year-on-year basis.
Davao region’s abaca production, the second biggest producer of the fiber, declined by 4.3 percent to 11,269.44 MT from 11,781.21 MT last year.
Abaca output in Northern Mindanao fell by 22.9 percent to 5,302.72 MT from 6,877.08 MT, based on PhilFida data.
The four regions that posted increments in output were Caraga, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog, according to PhilFida.
Caraga region’s abaca output rose by 21.7 percent year-on-year to 9,854.4 MT while BARMM’s production went up by 1.2 percent on to 3,005.48 MT.
PhilFida had projected that the country’s total abaca output this year would return to the 70,000-MT level. The target this year is 3.72 percent higher than the 67,488.11 MT recorded last year.
The Philippines produces 85 percent of the world’s abaca fiber supply, and 1.5 million Filipinos depend on it for their livelihood.