By Manny Piñol
The Department of Agriculture (DA) and its attached agency, the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFiDA) will host a two-day seminar on Abaca farming April 6 and 7 in Kidapawan City.
DA High Value Crops Undersecretary Evelyn Laviña and PhilFiDA Executive Director Kennedy Costales are coordinating their efforts to make arrangements for the first-ever Abaca Farming Seminar to be held in Central Mindanao.
The first day of the seminar, which will be held at the JC Complex along the national highway in Kidapawan City, will focus on lectures on what Abaca is, how to plant it, how to harvest it and its income opportunities.
The lecture will also include insurance coverage, easy access credit and marketing assistance.
The Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) will give a briefing on how Abaca could be covered by insurance, the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) will give a briefer on credit access while PhilFiDA will give out information on how to link farmers to the market.
I have also directed Undersecretary Laviña to include during the first day lectures on how to plant Falcata or Gmelina to provide the partial shade on the Abaca and Black Pepper propagation and farming.
The second day will show actual demonstration on how to plant and how to harvest and strip the Abaca.
In the Kidapawan City seminar, food will be served but hotel expenses for those coming in from outside the area will have be shouldered by the participants.
After the Central Mindanao Seminar, the group will schedule seminars in other regions where Abaca thrives well like Caraga, ARMM, Zamboanga and Northern Mindanao.
Similar activities were also conducted in Southern Leyte as early as 2016.
The Abaca industry has rebounded lately and replanting of Abaca is being undertaken to address the shortage for the world’s strongest natural fiber.
(First two photos show the Kutay-kutay variety of Abaca which I planted in my farm in October 2016 and now ready for harvest while the remaining photos were downloaded from public websites.)
More Stories
Breadfruit Grows Fast In My Dreamed Food Forest!
From The Town Of Hornbills To The City Of Fruits & Highland Springs!
After A Learning Tour,