To step up efforts to save the country's abaca industry from three major viral diseases that continue to threaten one of the country's major dollar earners, two scientists from the University of the Philippines (UP) are proposing to develop genetically modified abaca that is resistant to the viral disease.

The five-year project, which aims to come up with the GM-abaca that is resistant to bunchy-top, mosaic and bract mosaic viruses by 2011, was proposed by Dr. Vermando M. Aquino and Dr. Evalour T. Aspuria of UP's National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB) in Diliman and the Department of Horticulture in Los Baños, respectively.

A P20-million budget has been proposed to finance the project, which will be spearheaded by Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA) and the Biotechnology Program Implementation Unit (BPIU) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in collaboration with the two research institutes of UP.

The proposal is being evaluated by concerned agencies in the agriculture department.

The project proposal, once approved and budgeted, is expected to boost government efforts to control the spread of the diseases that continue to threaten the industry and the country's supply share in the world market.

FIDA technicians have been continuously conducting disease surveillance and eradication in severely affected areas of "hotspots" by cutting down infected plants, spraying insecticides and applying gluphosate, an herbicide that kills remaining abaca mats.

However, scientists believe the measure cannot be sustained with the limited government resources and field workers. Moreover, experts discovered that the continuous use of hazardous pesticides was found to have detrimental effects to people and the environment.

The scientists will attempt to solve the problem through genetic eng9ineering.

Resistance genes from wild relatives of the pathogen of abaca itself such as coat-protein will be isolated and inserted directly into the crop's DNA.

The same technology is being used to solve the diseases in papaya such as the papaya ring spot virus and banana, namely, the banana bunchy-top virus.

FIDA officials have earlier said that the GM-abaca will enhance productivity and profitability of the crop.

Abaca, known worldwide as Manila hemp, is one of the country's major agricultural exports and dollar-earners.

The abaca continues to make a stronghold in both international and domestic markets, and generated $81 million annually from 1993-2002, according to FIDA.

The demand for abaca raw fiber as a biodegradable material increased and its use as fiber composite material in car manufactures and as a component in cosmetic industry has shown great importance, encouraging local producers to produce more and expand abaca production areas.

At present, the country supplies 84 percent of the world demand for raw fiber, cordage, pulp and for fiber-craft manufactures.