A DAVAO City Councilor said that the city, in partnership with Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (Philfida), will develop around 2,000-hectare land for abaca plantation, which will primarily benefit Indigenous Peoples communities in Marilog and Paquibato District.
“The Philfida currently has a Tuxy Buying program,” Councilor Marissa Salvador-Abella said.
Tuxy is the leaf sheath of the abaca (saha).
Abella said that the Philfida is pushing for it since they saw that the Abaca is becoming a dying industry.
She said that this program seeks to urge the IPs to plant indigenous species of Abaca, instead of the cheaper Daratex abaca, which are now abundant in other countries.
“The old variety Daratex are not acceptable in Japan,” she said.
Abella said that Abaca is not only for ropes, it can also be used as a material for making money such as the Japanese yen. It can also be used as materials for making car components.
“They are planting a variety that is not accepted for export since other countries seek for the species indigenous in their area,” she said.
Abella said that there is a 30,000-ton gap in the export of Abaca.
Abella, meanwhile, said that a 1,000-hectare land will be allocated for it in Paquibato district and another 1,000 hectares in Marilog district.
“Farmers would plant 1,000 [trees] per hectare. Let’s say 1,000 each for IPs as there are many Certificate of Ancentral Domain Title (Cadti) areas. These areas will undergo data gathering, and we’ve already started in IP cooperatives,” she said.
With the Tuxy project, Abella said, the farmers will come up with a centralized plant for stripping, a quality fiber.
“What is happening now is that different farmers produce different quality. At least with (the plant), they can produce what the market wants. Each (stripping) plant will cost five million each,” she said.
She added that through the program, the abaca plantations will not be owned by a corporation but it shall be owned by the cooperative, while its members will plant the crop.
Abella said that a lot of training and monitoring is needed to lift the industry.
“Since we saw that there is a big market, we should really fast track the production since other countries are now planting their variety,” she said.
Abaca, she added, is also one of the five crops that is eyed to be developed in the city through the 27-Billion Philippine Rural Development Project. (KVC)