ABACA OUTPUT fell 13.7% to 8,693.38 metric tons (MT) in the first two months of the year, according to the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA).
“We’re still studying these results and what happened because the momentum this 2022 suddenly dropped,” PhilFIDA Executive Director Kennedy T. Costales said in an interview.
SOCCKSARGEN region reported the biggest decline of 55.7% to 185.83 MT.
Top producer Bicol region’s output fell 34.9% to 2,361.37 MT. That of Central Visayas was down 24.4% at 27.68 MT, Davao region down 21.8% at 1,705.14, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) down 16.2% at 451.27, Northern Mindanao down 13.2% at 1,137.5 MT, Zamboanga Peninsula down 8% at 82.69 MT, and Central Luzon down 5.1% at 6.15 MT.
Meanwhile, production in the Eastern Visayas rose 73.2% to 635.09 MT. That of Caraga was up 46.3% at 1,591.81 MT, Southern Tagalog up 32.9% at 10.71, and Western Visayas up 22.7% at 498.14 MT.
For the year, PhilFIDA has set an output target of 70,000 MT.
“It’s still very early to conclude. We can still rebound,” Mr. Costales said, adding however that the weather has been unfavorable.
“It’s the first time in April where we had two typhoons. Whenever it rains, the farmers cannot harvest. Production slows down,” he added. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson