To rid WV of abaca virus, ensure bigger yield of quality fiber

TACLOBAN CITY - Finally, Japanese Ambassador Ruichiro Yamazaki and Gov. Carlos Jericho L. Petilla signed last week the grant contract for the Abaca Rehabilitation and Expansion project of the province of Leyte.

This grant aid, which amounts to $70,350 or over P3.7 million, is funded through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) under Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA).

It is expected to hasten the mass production of "virus-free abaca plantlets" at the Abaca Tissue Laboratory in the government center of Palo, Leyte, a project initiated by former governor and now Leyte Rep. Remedios Petilla.

Abaca fiber from Leyte is considered the province's major export product.

However, it has considerably been affected by incidence of the abaca bunchy top disease and abaca mosaic virus.

The disease has now spread to around 80 barangays with substantial plantation areas in western Leyte, according to Reynero Pastoril of the Provincial Agriculture Office.

Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA) claims that more than 2,600 ha of the 15,993.90 ha of abaca farms in the province have been affected by the said virus.

Dr. Alfredo Guevara, acting Leyte provincial agriculturist said in a press conference that the creation of the Abaca Tissue Laboratory and Nursery, in strategic and abaca-friendly municipalities, will help improve the capacity of the province to mass propagate and distribute the virus-free and high yielding abaca varieties to farmers.

Under the abaca expansion project, the provincial agriculture office has identified new and suitable areas for abaca plantations in the towns of Alang-alang, Babatngon, Barugo, Carigara and San Miguel.

These areas will be established with disease-free abaca nurseries, where plantlets will be available at R15 each.

Meanwhile, the infected abaca farm areas are currently being rid of abaca-infected plants.

According to Pastoril, abaca rehabilitation in the virus-infected areas will only take place if the disease is completely purged out and the whole area cleared.