The abaca industry of Catanduanes is recovering fast, records of the Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA) show.

FIDA figures revealed that from January to May 2009, the province produced 8,646.32 metric tons (MT) of raw abaca fiber, compared to the 7,084.23 MT posted for the same period last year for a gain of 22.1 percent.

A recent shipment of 22,500 kilos of abaca fibers by Manila Hemp Trading Corp. (MHT), a trader based in Virac, kept the abaca industry alive.

For the first five months of 2009, the country exported 1,045 MT of abaca fiber, with 270 MT going to the United Kingdom, with the balance shipped to Japan, China and India.

A total of 4,502.4 MT of abaca pulp was shipped to North America, with the United States getting 422 MT.

Catanduanes Gov. Joseph Cua admitted that global economic difficulties have affected the abaca industry in his province even as he believes the industry would eventually shake off its lethargy and start to expand. The performance for the first quarter has buoyed the enthusiasm of producers, he added.

Cua said that with firms like MHT continuously buying abaca, he believes that abaca farmers and strippers are assured of steady income.

Catanduanes produces an average of one million kilos of abaca raw fiber a month. Nearly 23,500 farmers produce abaca in plantations covering 23,600 hectares.

To keep the momentum and maintain Catanduanes as top abaca producer, the provincial government has focused its attention on the mechanization of extraction and cleaning of abaca.