The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is advancing innovations in Catanduanes’ abaca industry to improve farmer incomes and create higher-value textile products.

DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said the initiative aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address, which emphasized expanding the local textile sector. A new agreement between the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) and Catanduanes State University will support the effort. “Abaca has been around for a long time, but we need to innovate. Focusing only on raw fiber limits its potential,” Solidum noted.

According to DOST-Catanduanes director Marie Grace Molina, a PHP10 million project is now underway to produce open fiber from abaca for textile use. PTRI has delivered equipment, and facility renovations at Catanduanes State University will begin in September.

The facility will purchase raw abaca from farmers at higher prices and process it using DOST-PTRI technology, producing open fiber to be supplied to spinning facilities nationwide. Production will also use bleached cotton as a component in textile blends.

Talks with the mayor of Virac are ongoing for additional facilities to support open fiber production, which will focus on high-value textile inputs for industrial applications.