ABACA Activities in the Philippines - Unido

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Ref. No. CFC/FIGHF/09 CFC/UNIDO/FIDA 60 V. Dissemination of Project Results The main objective of Component C is the dissemination of the results of the project through the holding of regional and international dissemination seminars and the production of the Farmers’ Manual on Abaca. 1. Production of Farmers’ Manual on Abaca The Manual is envisioned to serve as a guide for farmers on how to obtain higher fiber yield in their abaca plantations to increase their farm income. The Manual contains information on the proper establishment and maintenance of abaca plantations, recommended high yielding abaca varieties, detection and control of pests and diseases, proper harvesting methods and different methods of extracting abaca fiber. The Manual will be in English and in Filipino and in two (2) local dialects (Bikol and Cebuano). The drafts have already been presented to the farmers during the regional seminars and subsequently revised to incorporate the suggestions made on how best to improve the contents of the Manual. Printing of the Manual is financed by the Project fund and is expected to be completed before the end of 2004. The Manual will be distributed to abaca farmers in Bicol, Visayas and Mindanao. 2. Dissemination Seminars The organization of an international dissemination seminar to present the results of Components A and B was one of the main objectives of Component C. To reach a much larger number of abaca farmers who are the ultimate beneficiaries, regional dissemination seminars were also held in three major producing provinces in Bicol, Visayas and Mindanao. The following were the results of the seminars: 2.1 Regional Dissemination Seminars The regional dissemination seminars were held in Legaspi City, Albay on September 21, 2004; Sogod, Southern Leyte on September 29, 2004; and Davao City on October 4, 2004. Participants to the regional seminars were mostly abaca farmers and representatives from the local government units who are supportive of the abaca industry in their respective regions. A total of 379 participants attended the regional disseminations seminars – 103 in Legaspi City, 135 in Sogod, Southern Leyte and 141 in Davao City. The abaca farmers actively participated during the open forum and showed great interest in the developed machines and the recommended abaca varieties. Actual demonstrations on the use of the decorticating machine were made during the seminars. The following were their general comments suggestions on the topics presented: Mechanical tuxer. The machine is good as it eases the tuxying process and there is no need for more workers. However, the cost of the machine is high and because it is big, it is only good in flat areas and not suitable in the mountainous areas where most of the abaca plantations are located. They suggested that the tuxer be made smaller, to make it lighter and cheaper and to make it fuelefficient. Auto-fed decorticating machine. The machine is good, safe to use, production capacity is high as more abaca fiber can be stripped compared to the traditional stripping machine. The resultant fibers, although good in terms of quality, are however short. The machine is big and very expensive and can be used only in plantation-type abaca farms and not in small abaca farms in the mountains.
Ref. No. CFC/FIGHF/09 CFC/UNIDO/FIDA 61 Suggestions were made to make the machine smaller or portable that the farmers could bring them to the mountains and to develop machines that are affordable to farmers. Screening of varieties for resistance to virus diseases. The research results are very helpful to the farmers as they gave them information on what abaca varieties they will have to plant in their respective areas that will reduce if not solve the problem of abaca diseases. Some farmers however, showed reluctance to change the varieties already planted in their farms. Recommendations were made to continue the research to include other varieties in their localities that might also be diseaseresistant and to develop varieties that are not only disease-resistant but also high-yielding. Yield trial of selected higher yielding varieties. The results also proved useful to the farmers as they provided them knowledge on which abaca varieties are high-yielding and could help increase their income from abaca farming. The farmers expressed their thanks for the researches that were conducted and for conducting the dissemination seminar for them. Suggestions were also made to continue the research to include other abaca varieties in their localities. The also requested that FIDA provide them with planting materials that are disease-free, disease-resistant and are highyielding. 2.2 International Dissemination Seminar The international dissemination seminar was held on October 19, 200 in Makati City, Philippines. It was attended by 149 participants representing the abaca industry sectors involved in abaca fiber processing, manufacturing and marketing, research institutions, international development organizations, government agencies, international and local financing institutions, policy-making bodies, interested investors including machine manufacturers and delegates from Ecuador, the only other abaca producing country. During the seminar, the results of Component A and Component B were presented by the respective researchers as well as the problems encountered in the course of their implementation. The representative of Corporacion de Abacaleros de Ecuador (CADE), the project’s collaborating company in Ecuador, which joined the project in only in July 2003, presented the results of the auto-fed decorticating machine shipped to Ecuador in May 2004. Resource persons from other agencies that are also implementing projects on abaca also presented the results of their projects on abaca, such as the R & D on abaca fiber for textile for which a breakthrough has been made for the use of abaca for tropical fabrics. Another representative from Ecuador presented an overview of the abaca industry in that country. The outputs of the regional seminars were likewise presented during in the international dissemination seminar as well as a brief summary of the contents of the Farmers’ Manual on Abaca. Actual demonstrations on the operations of the mechanical tuxer and the auto-fed decorticating machine were shown during the seminar. Some key questions and issues were raised during the open forums on the results of the project that were presented. Suggestions were also made on the future directions of research to be made. These include the following: Mechanical tuxer. Although the field test indicated that the tuxer can produces more tuxies than the traditional tuxying tools, it requires more man-hour and appears to be more expensive with the added cost of fuel and depreciation. Future research must be focused on developing a machine that is more efficient and affordable to farmers. Auto-fed decorticating machine. The machine lacks portability as it is too large for the small farmers. Although it has profit advantage because of higher fiber recovery of 3.3% compared to the use of the stripping machine, it is not easily affordable to small farmers as the cost is too expensive. The labor requirement to run the machine is too high and this
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ABACA Activities in the Philippines - Unido

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