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By Paul M. Icamina, Special Reports Editor
SALUYOT is coming out of the culinary closet into the world of high
fashion.
“Saluyot has passed all the initial
prerequisites for textile in terms of fineness, tensile strength,
residual gum properties—among the most critical
characteristics,” says Nora Mangalindan, head of research and
development at the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI).
PTRI is extracting fibers from saluyot stem and
through chemical and mechanical pretreatment produces yarns for
apparel.
The highly nutritious vegetable is a favorite of
peasants—and even strongman Ferdinand Marcos declared his love for
it—cooked with bamboo shoots with a dash of fermented anchovies,
perhaps topped with grilled fish.
Cleopatra ate saluyot for health and cosmetic
reasons. Known as jute leaves, it is called “famine food” by
Africans.
It had its fashion debut when the PTRI unveiled
saluyot this year— along with water hyacinth and maguey—at the
International Year of Natural Fibers launching on January 22 by the
UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Both saluyot and water hyacinth grow almost
everywhere. Apparel fabric will be a better use for the prolific
water lily that blocks waterways and kills aquatic life in rivers
and lakes. Maguey grows wild in northern Luzon, Cebu and Panay.
“Having established the pretreatment, yarn and
fabric processing and validated the commercial viability of the
technologies for abaca, banana and pineapple fibers, R&D now
focuses on these nontraditional tropical fibers,” Mangalindan
says.
Next on the ramp: chic and wild sabutan from the
Sierra Madre and Batanes.
About 99 percent of textiles currently used here
are synthetic. Natural cotton, mostly from Mindanao, is sporadic and
supplies less than 3 percent of demand from mills—from 30 percent
at its heyday in the 70s and 80s.
A law prescribes the use of tropical fabrics to
compose at least 5 percent of either pineapple, banana or abaca or
15-percent silk for the uniforms of some 1.4 million public
officials and employees. For just 5 meters each, 7 million meters
required means import substitution of 481 metric tons of fibers
worth US$547,000.
It is part of a campaign to reverse the sliding
textile industry owing to stiff competition from China, cheaper
fabrics from abroad, imported raw materials, local labor unrest,
higher production costs and widespread smuggling.
“Substituting just a fourth of imported
textile with local tropical fabrics means foreign exchange savings
of US$156.72 million,” says Mangalindan. “The world textile
industry has been devoid of new natural textiles for quite some time
now and it is a great opportunity for tropical fibers coming from
the Philippines.”
Tropical fibers like piña have an edge because
it is a high-end product with expensive upscale niche markets that
demand exquisite, quality and hand-woven material.
Potentials, problems
Beyond textiles, natural fibers are highly
valued for a myriad of applications.
The Philippines has some 30 useful fiber crops
of which abaca, ramie, coconut coir, salago, maguey, buntal, raffia,
kapok, piña, banana, kozo, kenaf and silk, have commercial
applications.
About 143,585 hectares are currently planted to
fiber crops; 94.7 percent (135,958 has.) are planted to abaca. The
rest is planted to ramie, salago, buri, maguey, mulberry and other
fiber crops.
Fiber production in 2005 was 79,131 metric tons;
73,875 tons (93 percent) came from abaca. That was worth P2.65
billion, a steep increase over P2 billion in 2004; abaca accounted
for P2.61 billion (98 percent).
High abaca demand caused fiber exports to rise
to P4.99 billion that year, compared to P4.35 billion in 2004.
Abaca is plagued by low farm income productivity
due to pests and diseases; inconsistent fiber quality; limited
markets; and relatively high prices. The country’s dominance is
threatened by Indonesia’s massive abaca plantations and the
expansion of abaca farms in Ecuador.
Maguey is used in cordage, ropes, twines,
carpets, wall coverings, crafts and handmade paper. The Philippines
could produce maguey liquor —which is what Mexican tequila is.
Planted on 503.9 has., mostly in Bohol, maguey
has declined because of inefficient fiber extraction, dwindling
fiber supply due to old, sparsely planted or abandoned plantations.
It takes four years from planting to harvesting while production
returns are low.
Piña is used for barong, pañuelos, gowns,
handkerchiefs, table linens, table napkins, table cloth, pillow
cases, fans and other household items.
Piña fiber and cloth production, mostly from
Aklan, suffered during Typhoon Frank last year. With handlooms and
materials all damaged, production of pure piña and piña seda cloth
dropped by 64 percent.
Still, liniwan piña fiber is priced at P1,380
per kilogram while bastos piña fetch P1,240/kg for loose and
P5,750/kg for knotted.
The high price limits its market while lack of
planting materials and piña leaves results in low fiber supply. Low
capital prevents the expansion of plantations.
Demand for coconut coir is improving, with local
purchases from upholstery and mattress makers as well as
manufacturers of panel board, organic compost, vehicle upholstery,
insulator pads against erosion. Coir is also a biodegradable cover
for soil undergoing revegetation.
Sourcing husks remains a problem due to high
freight cost, dearth of drying facilities and lack of high- density
baling press.
Raffia can replace cord, grass, leaves, fabric,
ribbon, stuffing, floral string and even paper. Hats, mats, baskets,
bags and twine are also made from raffia. Last year, because of
increased demand, raffia production in Quezon surpassed the output
of Aklan, the major producer.
Salago, farmed in Cebu, Bohol and Negros
Oriental, is used for handmade, stencil and currency paper; Japanese
kimono and sliding door; as well as components for radio and
computers. Production fluctuates due to a two-year harvesting cycle
but export earnings average US$531,498 per year. Taiwan is the
biggest buyer while China is the newest market.
Increasing demand for buntal means increased
production in Bohol, Quezon, Marinduque and Palawan.
The government should do more to support the
natural fiber business and industry. We should not be
complacent—other countries are building themselves up to compete
with us.
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