TACLOBAN CITY – The Fiber Industry Development Authority (Fida) has treated 1,521 hectares of abaca farms in Eastern Visayas infected by diseases during the first six months of the year.
Wilardo Sinahon, officer-in-charge of Fida in the region, said they are on track of their target to eradicate destructive abaca diseases in 3,800 hectares of farms with high disease incidence.
For 2013, Fida has a budget of P7.6 million for abaca disease eradication covering one city and eight municipalities in the region.
Fida aims to finish within this month the first round of treatment concentrated in the towns of Burauen, Javier, and Albuera in Leyte and Dolores in Eastern Samar with combined areas of 2,000 hectares.
Towards the end of the year, disease eradication will cover 1,800 hectares in Kananga and Ormoc City, Leyte; Saint Bernard and Hinunangan, Southern Leyte; and Lavezares, Northern Samar.
Sinahon assured that they will closely conduct monitoring activities of treated areas until the disease’ incidence level will be reduced to five percent. Contained area will managed by farm owners.
“After the eradication activities, we will revisit these areas to monitor and prevent recurrence of disease,” he added.
Last year, Fida has treated 3,594 hectares in Burauen and Mahaplag in Leyte, and Allen in Northern Samar. The agency launched massive eradication activities in 2009.
Fida has no record on the extent of abaca mosaic and bunchy top virus plague in the region in the past two years. In 2011, the disease infested 19,107 hectares out of the 43,498 hectares farm devoted to abaca in Leyte and Southern Leyte.
Bunchy-top is caused by a virus spread by the banana aphids, while virus spread by aphids causes mosaic. The disease has been a serious threat to Leyte and Southern Leyte’s abaca fiber industry.
It was in the later part of 1997 that Fida noted the presence of abaca mosaic infestation in Ormoc City in Leyte and in Silvino Lobos in Northern Sama; however, infestation in these areas was already contained.
During the early part of 1999, an infestation of abaca bunchy-top was noted in Mahaplag and Sogod, Southern Leyte and the area then registered five to 70 percent disease infection.
From being the country’s top producer in the 1990s, Southern Leyte slid to the 10th place in 2010 due to widespread infestation. (Leyte Samar Daily Express)