EV Farmers Produce Quality Abaca
Catarman, Northern Samar – Unknown to many, the abaca produced by the small farmers in Northern Samar and Leyte provinces are the best abaca fiber in the world and it has a good market, said a prominent businessman here.
Alex Tan, president of the Philippine Abaca Fiber Exporters Association, said the abaca fibers produced by the small farmers from the remote towns of Northern Samar and Leyte provinces have the best quality of abaca and it is known worldwide as the best abaca in the world.
The Bicol region is second only in terms of abaca production and quality of abaca fiber, Tan said.
Tan said he will be presenting the quality of the best abaca of Eastern Visayas during the international convention on fibers at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila come October 22 which will be attended by international businessmen.
He said the international convention on fibers is organized by the United Nations and he is proud that our country is the host of this international gathering.
He said the abaca fibers from Region 8 are being made into teabags, filters and other important uses by various industries worldwide.
Tan said the good weather condition, soil and rainfall of Eastern Visayas are the good reasons why the abaca industry in Region 8 is stable.
Tan, who owns a paper mill in Shanghai, China, is urging the farmers in Samar and Leyte to venture into mass plantation of abaca saying it has a good and stable market and it has a big demand worldwide.
Tan said that the diseases which affected the abaca plantations in the fifth district of Leyte and some parts of Southern Leyte were just minimal and did not affect the abaca production and industry of Eastern Visayas.
The University of Eastern Philippines (UEP) here through lawyer Mar de Asis, its president, has been helping the abaca farmers in the propagation of abaca through tissue culture and modern ways of abaca farming in the whole of Northern Samar.
The university was the host of the International Fibers Day celebration last month attended by various abaca stakeholders.
The UEP is one of the best and oldest state universities in Region 8 which has been a center of agricultural education in Eastern Visayas.
By Nestor L. Abrematea