LEGAZPI CITY—The Fiber Industry Development Authority (Fida) is eyeing the mass propagation of a newly developed variety of hybrid abaca (Musa textilis). The new variety is high-yielding and disease-resistant, according to Fida’s regional office based at the Bicol University campus here.

Ramon Borromeo, Fida regional director, said over the weekend that this superior abaca variety was introduced by its technology developer, Dr. Antonio Lalusin Jr., of the Crop Science Center of the Institute of Plant Breeding at the University of the Philippines, Los Baños during a recent investors’ forum held at the Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

This new hybrid variety is resistant to bunchy-top virus, a dreaded disease that has been taking its toll on the country’s entire abaca industry, the major source of fiber internationally known as Manila hemp, he said.

“The introduction of this biotechnology-developed variety is expected to boost the country’s abaca industry that suffered a severe setback in production in 2006 because of the damages left by Supertyphoons Milenyo and Reming that compounded the lingering effect of bunchy top,” he said.

Borromeo said because of these natural calamities and disease infestation, the country’s total abaca-fiber baling in 2007 slowed down to 50,937 metric tons (MT), or 12.4 percent lower than the previous year’s output of 58,160 MT, owing mainly to the lackluster performance of almost all producing regions except Western Visayas and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

The biggest decrement in abaca baling in real terms—equivalent to a hefty 3,483 MT—was noted in Bicol, bringing the region’s output down from 13,103 MT, which includes the 217 MT of decorticated abaca.

Catanduanes, the country’s top abaca producer, had a lesser output by 15.9 percent or 2,166 MT, while Sorsogon, Albay and Camarines Sur had corresponding reduced outputs of 52.9 percent, 41.4 percent and 20.2 percent, respectively.

In terms of regional fiber contribution, Eastern Visayas continued to dominate the production sector with a 37.6-percent share, while Bicol maintained its second position with 25.7 percent. Southern Mindanao was third with 15.3-percent contribution, while Caraga had a 9.7-percent share to the overall annual baling.

In terms of provincial comparison, Fida said Catanduanes remains the No. 1 producer of abaca in the country, accounting for about 9,000 MT in fiber production during the first half of this year. The province had 23,676 hectares of abaca plantations cultivated by 15,454 farmers, the largest in the Philippines.

According to Borromeo, the hybrid abaca variety assures farmers of increased yield by as much as 300 percent and an even better-quality fiber.

In a statement, Lalusin said he hopes to forge business ties with private investors for the mass propagation of the hybrid abaca.

“The business model offered by this technology is tissue-culture laboratory and nursery operations. Like all superior crops developed through tissue culture, this superior abaca variety will be the next sought-after variety, both by operators of commercial plantations and individual farmers,” Lalusin said.

Abaca is endemic to the Philippines. It is an important export crop and is a major dollar earner for the country, generating $80 million annually from 1996 to 2000. The Philippines supplies 85 percent of abaca in the world market. As of 2008, abaca was cultivated in about 140,000 hectares in 52 provinces.

The country’s abaca industry relies solely on traditional varieties for its survival in the absence of new and improved varieties until the introduction of the high-yielding, virus-resistant hybrid-abaca variety, he said.

This newly developed biotechnological variety is timely, Borromeo said, as demand for abaca pulp and fiber is increasing. More countries are shifting to the use of natural fibers in their bid to eliminate dependence on materials that use fossil fuels.

“Car manufacturers are now using abaca as composite materials for vehicle interiors and automotive parts,” he said.

Celesa, a pulp-making company is Spain, is now developing tie-ups with local suppliers of abaca; the company is buying from Ecuador, but wants to expand usage of Philippine abaca, Borromeo said.

As reported by a local abaca pulp mill, a European buyer is seeking 50,000 MT of abaca pulp per year. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas had also advised manufacturers of base paper for the Philippine peso to use abaca pulp as a component material. This means an additional demand of about 250 MT abaca pulp per year.

Abaca pulp can be substituted for coniferous pulp in most paper products on the ratio of 4:1; majority of the world’s pulp-and-paper companies use wood pulp, with global demand estimated to be 200 million MT in the year 2000; this is equivalent to about 50 million MT of abaca pulp, he added.