Jan.-July abaca output up 5% to 29,562 MT – report

Abaca fiber production from January to July this year went up almost 5 percent to 29,562.6 metric tons (MT) fro a year earlier, according to Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA). The government attributed this growth in production to increased demand of premier fiber by major markets such as the UK and Japan. Abaca fiber is used to make rope, furniture, garments, shawls, cosmetics, and paper. On a per region basis, Bicol was the top producer during the period, producing 10,139.13 MT of abaca fiber. Easter Visayas followed suit, contributing 7,823.8 MT to total production. Other top producers of abaca fiber were Davao region (3,733 MT), Caraga region (2,454.25 MT), and Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (1,770 MT). Exports of abaca fiber from January to June increased by almost 200 percent to 4,809.67 MT. The top destination of abaca fiber during the period was United Kingdom, which bought 2,123.75 MT of abaca fiber from the Philippines. FIDA earlier said the recovery in demand from developed countries will boost Philippine abaca fiber exports by 35 percent in 2010. The agency said local abaca exporters could ship out 10,000 MT of abaca fiber for the whole year. In 2009, the Philippines exported 7,400 MT of commodity, down by 43 percent from 2008 due to the global recession that dampened appetite for abaca. FIDA said it may be difficult for the country to replicate its 2008 performance that saw the shipment of about 13,000 MT because of a surge in demand by traditional markets such as Europe and Japan. —JE, GMANews.TV