Beyond The Islands

Jap-affiliated Company Wants to Develop 10,000-Hectare Abaca Plant in Marawi

The rehabilitation of Marawi is in full swing, with help continuously pouring in not only from the government but also the private sector.

Agri-Tech Integrated Services Company (ATISCO), a subsidiary of Yazaki Torres Corp., is looking into the development of 10,000 hectares of abaca farms in Marawi.

“We are now conceptualizing the rehabilitation of Marawi by providing them livelihood through the rehabilitation of the abaca industry,” said ATISCO Operations Manager Dante S. Delima in an interview to BusinessWorld while on the sidelines of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)-Mindanao Sustainable Agrarian and Agriculture Development (MinSAAD) Usapang Kalakalan.

MinSAAD is an agriculture and rural development program that is funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

DAR has started planning the establishment of an abaca nursery that will supply input for the plantation. Talks with the province agriculture office of Lanao Del Sur has already commenced. The target is to start planting by June next year.

“We were assured by the provincial agriculturist that they are willing to help,” added De Lima who was a former undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The ATISCO executive also said that the government should focus in rehabilitating the abaca industry in the country. There are now several investors who are willing to plant abaca and the global demand is also increasing in recent years.

“Abaca fiber is no longer just used as cordage now because it is an important component of paper money, insulator, capacitor, hospital gloves, tea bags and even in kevlar body armor for the military,” he said.

Aside from investing, ATISCO is also willing to lend a hand to farmers who want to grow abaca. The company will also assist in consolidating the abaca products and deliver them to existing processors so they are assured of buyers.

The Abaca Development Fund, which receives P1 for every kilo of abaca sold, was also established by ATISCO.

via Business World / Carmencita A. Carillo

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