Leyte farmers benefit from abaca yarning machine

The abaca market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of around 5.7 percent until 2019, according to the Philippines Abaca Fiber Market Forecast and Opportunities.

Given the continued strong demand for abaca and its by-products in both local and international markets, the government sees the need to increase production of this high-value commodity.

The Philippines is the world’s top producer of abaca fiber and by-products.

Abaca, the strongest among the existing natural fibers, is primarily used as a raw material for pulp and paper, fiber craft, cordage, among others.

With its wide range of uses, abaca has rapidly grown into an industry providing opportunities for livelihood and as additional income to abaca farmers and processors.

The National Abaca Research Center (NARC), located at the Visayas State University in Baybay City, Leyte, has developed a multi-stranded yarning machine for the production of abaca yarn to replace the tedious, time-consuming, and knotting method of tinagak-making.

NARC is one of the agencies mandated to uplift the abaca industry.

The project’s leader, Feliciano Sinon said in a traditional scenario, the conventional production of small twines for abaca handicraft is done by knotting individual fiber, combining the yarns, and twisting them into filaments to produce twine. This process is slow and labor intensive.

The traditional making of twine is a laborious work since the operator has to walk back and forth in setting the twisting end. Thus, NARC embarked on a project, “Development of a Twining Machine for the Production of 1-5 mm diameter Abaca Twine” that aimed to develop a twining machine for fast production of abaca twine from multistranded and untwisted abaca yarn.

The objective is to bring abaca machine generated technology to its adaptors and possible end-users.

Considered more economical than the traditional technique, the machine can produce 1.5 kg per day of multi-stranded yarn as compared to one kilogram of yarn per week using the knotting method.

Twining capacity of the machine can produce good quality 1mm diameter twine at 200 m per hour, wherein the twine made from tinagak yarn is smooth and has no protruding fiber ends.

Sinon said the fabrication of the prototype twine machine was subjected to a series of different evaluation for its operational functionality.

The machine was found to have good acceptability ratings to end-users. It costs about P45,000.

Piloting activity of twining machine was tested, and many of the abaca handicrafters in the community said “the twine machine was very useful for handicraft making, easy and simple to operate.”

By using the machine, one can earn a profit of P129 a day.

Two units of the machine were already sold to Maharlika Abaca Growers Association of Magara, Roxas, Palawan and Sibugay, Zamboanga City.

The San Agustin Abaca Handi-crafters Association (SAHA) in Leyte were trained on handicraft production, business-operational management, product marketing and development.

Aside from products made from “bacbac” like bags and coin purse, SAHA is now offering new products including twine balls, abaca decorative vases, macramé twine handbags, sinamay bags and other abaca derived products using abaca yarns and twines out of the machine.

SAHA also constructed a handicraft processing center in its community. Its members are involved in all operational processes including purchasing of raw materials, making handicraft products, and delivery, among others.

It provides the raw materials to its members and encourage them to sell their products directly to the association where they are paid in cash.

The percentage of the income goes to the association for additional budgetfor its continuous operation.