ABACA HARVEST DOWN 75 %

MAASIN, SOUTHERN LEYTE - Here's something our local officials should be worried about. According to the Fiber Industry development Authority (FIDA) Southern Leyte's abaca production has plunged from 8,491 metric tons in 2005 to only 2,074 metric tons in 2011.

From the country's top abaca-producing province a decade ago, we have now slipped to the sixth largest abaca-producing province in the Philippines.

Samar province which was a minor abaca producer in the past has now overtaken Southern Leyte in abaca production due to our abaca "bungy top" disease infestation and some obsolete farming practices.

Josephine Regalado, FIDA Deputy Administrator for Research and Development said that they have tried to contain the abaca infestation in Southern Leyte, particularly in Maasin City and Sogod town, but had failed because of its advanced state of infestation and the province's largely mountainous terrain.

She said they were also short of funds and as a result could not push through with many of their plans.

Regalado added that this was sad because the Philippines used to be the world's top abaca producing country. FIDA's budgetary porblems was confirmed to the press by FIDA regional director Jeffrey G. Espina, who said the agency has developed a system of eradicating the "Bunchy Top" virus but their office's limited budget for disease eradication and control allowed them to disinfect only two towns a year in Eastern Visayas.

Espina also blamed the harvesting of umbak which hastens the rapid spread of the disease for the plunge in Abaca production in Southern Leyte.

He is urging local governments here to help stop umbak harvesting because the umbak sheaths have been identified as carriers of bunch top aphids. (By RUEVIVAR "Wowie" REYES)

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