Abaca, an herbaceous plant producing the world’s strongest natural fiber, could yet lift many rural families from poverty.
I could attest to this because I have the numbers to prove it.
Over three years ago, shortly before I officially assumed as Secretary of Agriculture, I started a journey from Cotabato to Aparri, Cagayan which was later known as the Biyaheng Bukid.
Along the way, I met with and talked to farmers and fisherfolk.
It was in Sogod, Southern Leyte where farmers asked my help to revive the abaca industry and rehabilitate their disease-ravaged farms.
I retuned to Sogod two months after I was sworn in as Agriculture Secretary and in September of 2016 turned over P50-M for the Abaca program to the local government unit.
At the same time, I also planted Abaca in the steep areas of my hilly farm in Kidapawan City making use of the vacant spaces.
My philosophy in my advocacies is simple: I can’t convince people to believe in the programs I am promoting if I don’t do it myself.
People said I was taking a big risk and I was gambling on a disease-vulnerable crop but I persevered.
I hired a consultant, Dr. Remy Baltazar, to supervise the Sogod Project and brought in an experienced Abaca man, Kennedy Costales, to head the Philippine Fiber Development Authority (PhilFiDA).
Today, three years later, I am making my third harvest of my Abaca and I expect a fiber production of about 4 tons.
The 4 tons of good quality fiber could earn about P400,000, half of which I will share with my Manobo workers who do the harvesting and stripping.
I expect to harvest once every 3 months, so I project to earn about P800,000 every year from an area of a little over 4 hectares.
The price of Abaca could even go higher because of increasing demand for the fiber for industrial uses and I am happy that the gamble I took over three years ago is paying off.
National Abaca output is increasing by at least 10% percent every year since 2017, according to estimates of the PhilFida.
PhilFida Executive Director Costales, a very competent and passionate Abaca advocate, attributed the rise in production to “higher buying prices, which are now at an “all-time high,” due to supply shortage.”
“The demand for abaca is so high, and the prices are high at the same time [which would drive production to increase]. Also, we are now campaigning for the production of good-quality fibers, which are being bought at better prices compared to copra now,” he said in an interview.
“You can earn as much as P120 per kilogram in abaca now, which is a clear at least P1,000 income for every 10 kilos harvested per day,” he said in an interview.
“The momentum in demand is there, hence, prices would not drop in 10 to 20 years time,” he said.
Today, in Taraka, Lanao del Sur, Abaca will be introduced as one of the livelihood options for the people of Lanao del Sur.
Farmers will be encouraged to intercrop Abaca with Cofee, Cacao, Durian and industrial trees.
Abaca will also be introduced other provinces of Mindanao as part of the Anti-Poverty Program of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).
(First photo shows me planting the Kutay-Kutay Abaca variety in my farm in 2016. The other photos show Manobo Abaca harvesters striiping fibers and my Abaca plaanted in the steep portion of my farm,)
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