ABACA production in Sarangani Province got a boost after the Department of Agriculture (DA) approved the multimillion-peso fiber enterprise that will benefit indigenous peoples.
The P35.7-million Enhancement of Production and Marketing of High-Quality Abaca Fiber Project under the DA’s Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) was issued a “No Objection Letter,” which signaled full implementation of the project.
DA 12 Regional Executive Director Amalia Jayag-Datukan said the proposal went through different levels of reviews for almost a year before finally given the green light.
“The project will improve the lives of indigenous communities because 97 percent of the total membership of the six cluster members belongs to groups of indigenous peoples,” Datukan said.
Dante Tomaro, operations manager of the lead proponent group United Maligang Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (UMFMPC) of Kiamba town, said the project will benefit 370 farmers with a total production area of 3,044.40 hectares.
Other members in the cluster include Upper Valley Rural Development Club (Maitum); Tulad Farmers Association (Kiamba); Holik Farmers Association (Maasim); Dasig Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Alabel); and Upper Lumabat Small Farmers Association (Malungon).
Abaca, known as Manila hemp, is considered the strongest of natural fibers, three times stronger than cotton. With the Philippines as the top producer and exporter (contributing 83 percent of the world’s production followed by Ecuador at 14 percent), the country trades five types of abaca products: fiber, pulp, cordage, yarns and fabrics, and fibercraft.
Based on the PRDP’s Value Chain Analysis (VCA) and Competitiveness Strategy study, abaca is cultivated in 138,369 hectares in 2013. Collectively, Mindanao accounted for 32 percent of the area planted to abaca, contributing 34 percent of the total national production.
For South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City, production volume increased from 800.34 metric tons (MT) in 2009 to 953.65 MT in 2013. During the last five years, area planted to abaca increased by 5.82 percent per year in the region.
South Cotabato accounted for 75 percent of the region’s production. Most of the farms are in the municipalities of Lake Sebu and T’boli.
Sarangani is the second top abaca-producing province in the region. Sultan Kudarat registered the highest average yield at 3.68 MT per hectare, but area planted to abaca was only 4.25 hectares.
Initially, abaca farmer cooperatives in Sarangani were given technical assistance by the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority. With the DA’s regional office and municipal government recommendation, UMFMPC availed itself of P250,000 assistance from the DA’s Mindanao Rural Development Program in 2012.
“The enterprises funded under PRDP have been carefully identified through scientific approaches, such as VCA, agro-adephic data via the Vulnerability and Suitability Assessment [VSA] and the expanded-VSA, which incorporates socioeconomic indicators in the production area,” PRDP Director in Mindanao Lealyn A. Ramos said. Ramos said the abaca enterprise in Sarangani Province has passed the PRDP requirements and shows viability and competitive potential beyond the farmers’ subsistence production.
PRDP, through its Investments in Rural Enterprises and Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity component, works to strengthen and advance agri-based enterprises through improving farmers’ production and giving them market-support facilities.
Image credits: Fred Abrea