By Manny Piñol
Towns in the provinces of Southern Leyte, Leyte, Biliran and the Samar Island Provinces who would like to revive their Abaca Industry could now establish their own nurseries as planting materials are now available, according to the Philippine Fiber Development Authority (PHILFIDA).
The planting materials of the Inusa Variety of Abaca which thrives well in the Eastern Visayas Region will come from the over 700-hectares of rehabilitated farms in Sogod, Southern Leyte which were developed right after I assumed office as Secretary of Agriculture in 2016.
The Department of Agriculture (DA), through PHILFIDA, entered into a memorandum of agreement with the municipality of Sogod under Mayor Emie Tan as early as July 2016 for the rehabilitation of the Abaca Farms ravaged by diseases and poor farm management.
The DA initially released P50-M which was used to acquire healthy planting materials and rehabilitate existing farms to produce additional planting materials for an expansion program.
Banana Management Specialist Dr. Remy Baltazar, who was engaged by the Department of Agriculture as consultant to address the Abaca diseases which virtually killed the industry in Eastern Visayas, reported to me on Tuesday that Abaca planting materials from the Sogod Nursery and rehabilitated farms are now available for distribution.
Last night, I directed PhilFida Executive Director Kennedy Costales to officially inform the mayors of all towns surrounding Sogod that they could already start setting up their own municipal nurseries by requesting for planting materials from PHILFIDA Region VIII under Director Boy Senajon.
Under this program to be implemented with the local government units of the six provinces of Region VIII, planting materials good for one to three hectares will be given to at least 8 towns every month on the condition that suckers produced from these municipal nurseries will be distributed to the farmers in their respective towns.
The DA-PHILFIDA will provide the planting materials and the technical assistance, including supervision of the municipal nurseries, while the municipalities will provide the nursery area, workers and other farm inputs needed to maintain the nursery.
Abaca, which produces the world’s strongest natural fiber, is endemic to the Philippines but over the years, the industry was neglected because of poor farm management and diseases.
According to the PHILFIDA, the Abaca shortage now is about 60,000 metric tons every year and to fill this demand, farmers need to plant an additional 90,000 hectares.
Abaca rehabilitation programs are now also being undertaken in other Abaca growing regions of the country.
(The first five photos were taken from my farm in Kidapawan City where I also grow Abaca. The last photo taken in October 2016 shows the first few Kutay-Kutay, Maguindanao and Tangonon varieties of Abaca which I planted in my farm. Today, I am starting to harvest suckers which I intend to share with farmers near my area.)
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