Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
1.
Local Consumption
Domestic processors utilize about 66 % of the country's total production of
abaca fiber. A steady increase of 3.2 % per year in the consumption of abaca fiber
by local processors resulted to more income through production of high value
products and employment opportunities in the Philippines. The pulp sector is
considered the highest growth area of the abaca industry due to the favorable
developments in the world market increasing demand for its end products such
as meat casings, tea bags, cigarette papers, and other specialty paper products.
The pulp sector accounted for about 57 % of the total local consumption for the
past 10 years. Consumption by this sector grew 6.9 % annually. The cordage
sector, on the other hand, accounted for about 31 % of the total fiber usage by the
domestic manufacturers. During the 10-year period, a decrease of 1.4 % per year
in the sector was observed largely due to stiff competition posed by synthetic
cordage.
2.
Export
Most of the processed products like pulp, cordage, and fiber crafts are exported
by the Philippines to various countries and from which, with raw fiber exports
included, an average of US$79 million a year are generated (Table
12.1
). About
82 % of export earnings or an average of US$65 million came from abaca
manufacturers. The rest (18 %) was contributed by raw fiber exports with annual
average earnings of US$14 million. Among the abaca manufacturers, pulp
contributed the highest export earnings at 39 % of the annual total followed by
fiber crafts at 22 %. Exports of cordage and allied products contributed 14 % and
yarns and fabrics 0.7 %. The United States remains as the biggest market for
Philippine abaca cordage while Japan and Germany for abaca pulp exports
during the past 10 years. Increasing quantities of pulp are also being marketed
to the United States as well as the European and Asian countries like France,
Taiwan, Korea, and China. The major markets for fiber crafts include the United
States, Germany, Japan, and Australia. An average of 12,887 MT of raw fibers
Table 12.1 Average exports of abaca fibers and products 1997-2006
Value
(in FOB US
$)
Volume
(MT)
Exports
Destination
Raw fibers
12,887
14,049,398
United Kingdom, Japan, Indonesia
Pulp
17,384
38,391,313
Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, France,
United States
Cordage, ropes,
and twines
7,725
11,370,481
United States, Singapore, Canada, Malaysia,
United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates
Yarns and
fabrics
396,910
Fiber crafts
15,046,555
United States, Japan, Spain, Italy, United King-
dom, France, Australia
Average total
earnings
79,254,657
Search WWH ::
Custom Search