PRDP trains beneficiaries to sustain excellent abaca fiber
The Department of Agriculture (DA) continues to uphold the production of high-quality abaca fiber in the Philippines through the conduct of training under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) in partnership with the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA) on Aug 25-27. As such, the San Isidro Farmers’ Cooperative (SIFAMCO) of Lianga, Surigao del Sur underwent a 3-day training in the San Isidro Upland Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SIUFMULCO) in Santiago, Agusan del Norte, on Abaca Sorting, Grading, and Baling. “Knowing to classify and sort abaca is very important for farmers so they will not
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|August 28-September 3, 2021
be deceived during the selling and buying of their products,” said Wendelyn Mabuloc, Fiber Development Officer II of PhilFIDA and Provincial Fiber Officer of Agusan del Sur. Mabuloc said that the training will help farmers to determine the different abaca fiber grades so they will be interested to produce the highest quality since it has the highest equivalent price too. Furthermore, SIFAMCO participants had hands-on experience in SIUFMULCO’s warehouse. Luchie Mae Montero, Abaca Trading Head of SIUFMULCO taught the step-by-step process from proper classification, sorting, and grading, up to baling of abaca fiber following the
national and international standards. “SIUFMLCO has been implementing the Philippine National Standard of PhilFIDA. We are strict in sorting and grading our abaca since we want to maintain our good relationship with our customers. We don’t want to disappoint them. Our seller, such as SIFAMCO, should be aware of this so that our classifications match and we will not have a problem when their abaca arrives in our warehouse,” said Montero. Farmers also identified the different classifications of fibers according to texture and color. According to Ludovico
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