One of the abaca farmer turned trader is Mrs. Leonida Lagrada of Brooke's Point. Only 68 then, she was a beneficiary of the Plant Now, Pay Later Program of the municipality of Brooke's Point in 2005. She initially intercropped abaca in her 12 hectare coconut plantation. A widow and wife to the former vice-mayor of Brooke’s Point, she wanted to augment the income from her coconut farm since copra was fixing a low price in the market then.

After two years, Mrs. Lagrada was ready to harvest abaca. The problem was, there was no market.

Abaca needs to be stripped to fiber before this is sold to the market. Manually done, this is tedious and laborious.

Mrs. Legrada, in her desire to mechanize operations had a machine designed to strip abaca. The venture failed four times and this cost her P360,000.

Then a blessing came. The Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA) introduced the abaca mobile spindle stripping machine (MSSM).

From being an abaca farmer, Mrs. Leonida Lagrada became a trader with her first delivery of abaca fiber in Manila at the Ching Bee Trading Corporation, one of the world’s largest abaca trader and exporter. This was also followed by four deliveries in Bulacan, also to Ching Bee Trading Corporation.

About Unlad Multi-Purpose Cooperative

In 1998, Mrs. Lagrada and a group of 15 residents of Brooke's Point, Palawan talked about the hard times and how they could cope up with their financial difficulties. They agreed to pull their resources and put up an informal lending without collateral and with the lowest interest possible. It became successful and more people joined the group.

Thus, Brooke's Point residents decided to form a cooperative. On July 5, 1999, they registered the Unlad Multi-Purpose Cooperative with 37 members to the Cooperative Development Authority.

Thirteen years after, members of Unlad MPC are now earning dividends on their shares and patronage refund. Members have a source of employment and they now enjoy a better price on their agricultural products.

Unlad MPC is not just into lending. It has a restaurant, food processing center, and an ice plant. It is also into cacao processing and trading.

Since Mrs. Legrada wanted to share her blessings as abaca farmer and trader, the Unlad MPC became an organized abaca farmers' cooperative at Brooke's Point. Abaca farming and trading became one of the cooperative's major activities. Now, the cooperative has more than 60 members. They have planted abaca in their farms and backyards.

In 2011, the Unlad MPC and FIDA installed a combination of technologies- "abaca stripping and drying technologies. The DA-High Value Commercial Crop funded the project and transferred it to FIDA who turned it over to Unlad MPC. The cooperative now manages these facilities.

FIDA intervention, PHilMech collaboration

In 2007, FIDA and the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) signed a Memorandum of Agreement on the joint commercialization of the FIDA spindle stripping machine and the multi-fiber decorticating machine for abaca, pineapple, maguey and banana.

Both FIDA and PHilMech are government agencies under the Department of Agriculture. FIDA is mandated to "promote the accelerated growth and development of the Philippine fiber industry in all its aspects including research, production, processing, marketing and trade regulation". PHilMech is mandated to "generate, extend, and commercialize appropriate and problem-oriented agriculture and fishery postharvest and mechanization technologies."

FIDA provided technical assistance to the abaca farmers of Palawan through its fiber development officer, Rey Mangaccat, 50, now a permanent resident of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. Mr. Rey is FIDA extensionist, regulatory officer and marketing officer rolled into one. He moved north to south of Palawan using his motorcycle to help abaca farmers-- encouraging them to plant more abaca and when time is ripe providing them marketing assistance. Now, the motorcycle was surrendered because of wear and tear but not the spirit of the man from who remained undaunted in his task of establishing a progressive community of abaca fiber entrepreneurs.

Said Mrs. Leonida Lagrada, "Si Rey ang inspirasyon namin sa pagtatanim ng abaca. Malaki ang tulong niya sa amin dito. If not because of him, we would have given up abaca a long time ago."

Mrs. Lagrada narrated that there was a time when abaca farmers at Brooke’s Point wanted to cut down all their abaca plants because there was no market. FIDA introduced the abaca mobile stripping machine as well as the potential buyers of abaca fiber. Now, there are a total of 450 hectares of covered land at Brooke’s Point planted with abaca.

Extracting the abaca fiber

When the abaca plant is already 18 to 24 months after planting, the first harvest of abaca leaf stalk can be done. The leaf stalk near the ground is cut down using a bolo knife. It is tumbled down and piled in one place.

Tuxying of abaca plant follows. Tuxying is the method of extracting the fiber from the leaf sheaths. A tuxying knife is used to separate the entire leaf sheaths of abaca. The tuxied abaca is then ready for stripping.

Stripping of abaca fiber maybe done manually or mechanically. Hand stripping is the manual procedure of stripping abaca. Although simply done, it is laborious on the part of the stripper.

Mechanical stripping makes use of a machine known as the abaca mobile spindle stripping machine (MSSM). In spindle stripping, the abaca fiber is wound around the spindle of the machine which is kept in motion by an engine.

All stripped abaca are dried after which they are baled and graded before they are marketed.

Benefits of the abaca spindle stripper

The abaca mobile spindle stripping machine developed by FIDA has several good features. It is mobile and easily moved from one place to another. It is safe and easy to operate. FIDA reports that the machine can extract abaca fiber an average capacity of 80-120 kg per day with a recovery rate of 1.52 -2.30 percent depending on the skill of the stripper.

No wonder, abaca farmers at Brooke's Point especially those who have traded abaca fiber are quick to answer on the benefits of the abaca spindle stripper. They say that the machine is very useful and efficient producing good to excellent quality abaca fiber.

Because of its performance, the Unlad MPC expressed their need for additional units of the abaca spindle stripping machine. At present, the stripper is servicing abaca farmers cultivating more than 400 hectares of abaca farm at Brooke's Point.

Trading the abaca fiber

There are several key players in the abaca industry - "the abaca farmers, strippers, traders and processors.

Mrs. Leonida Lagrada was once both an active abaca farmer and trader. However, in March 2010, she was downed by a coronary aneurism, an abnormal widening of a portion of an artery due to weakness in the wall of the blood vessel. Her condition forced her to lie low in her activities. She passed on to her daughter, Mary Ann, and her son, Roy, the Unlad MPC and the abaca farming and trading.

Mary Ann, 46 years old, is the overall in-charge of the Unlad MPC activities. Roy, a vacationing pilot, takes charge of the abaca farming operations. He supervises the abaca stripping at Brooke’s Point.

Roy imported skilled abaca strippers from Leyte, one of the top 10 producing provinces of abaca. They strip abaca at Brooke’s Point. During their free time, they go to Roxas, Palawan to strip abaca fiber and train Roxas strippers.

Trading of abaca fiber follows after the abaca fiber has been stripped, dried and baled. Unlad MPC delivers to exporter, Ching Bee Trading Corporation, who brings to countries like the United States and Japan. Other abaca fiber of Unlad MPC are brought to local processors like Rurungan sa Tubod and Binuatan Creations in Puerto Princesa City .

From 2009 to 2013, Unlad MPC has already delivered 19,000 kg of abaca fiber to Ching Bee Corporation, both in Bulacan and Leyte.

Says Roy, "Last year, abaca fiber cost P60 per kilogram. Now, the price has gone down at P49 per kilogram."
According to newspaper reports, the decreased price of abaca could be due to the economic slowdown in Europe and the United States, all importers of Philippine abaca fiber.

In spite of this, abaca farmers at Brooke’s Point are excited about abaca farming and trading.

Plans of the Unlad MPC

Mary Ann says that the Unlad MPC also plans to expand abaca plantation, both as monocrop and intercrop in 300 hectares of land, north and south of Palawan by 2016. "Since hardwood is being cut down for charcoal, why not plant abaca instead in riverbanks and watershed?"
Mr. Roy Lagrada also added with a smile: "One thing good about abaca is that it is easy to grow and maintain. It is not stolen. Hindi kasi nakakain ang bunga ng abaca, 'di tulad ng saging…To market abaca, you also need an abaca stripper to convert it to fiber ."

The Unlad MPC also plans to increase skilled abaca strippers, provide more livelihood for the members, and develop consumer products from abaca fiber.

There are indeed a thousand and one reasons to plant and market abaca. Farmers at Brooke’s Point have already realized this. No wonder, Brooke’s Point, a first-class municipality, is the number one producer of abaca in Palawan.