Leyte: Abaca farms in upland Anonang village here have started to recover from the destructive disease that wreaked havoc in the past 25 years, but there is still a long way to go to restore production.

According to Philippines News Agency, Eastern Visayas was the top fiber producer in the country until abaca disease, particularly the bunchy-top disease, wreaked havoc on many farms in the region in early 2000.

Ruel Quimzon, one of the 22 trained personnel deployed by the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA), shared insights on the ongoing recovery efforts. He explained that a two-year special project, launched in mid-2024 and funded with a PHP50 million budget, focuses on farm inspections, disease diagnosis, and farmer education on disease management practices in Leyte Island.

The eradication process involves injecting herbicide directly into the infected plant, followed by the application of a systemic insecticide to target aphids, and finally, the burning of infected plants. Quimzon noted that gaining farmers' trust was initially challenging since they were hesitant to participate in disease management activities that might result in the destruction of their abaca plants.

Wilardo Sinahon, PhilFIDA Eastern Visayas regional director, highlighted the success of the disease management efforts, as last year's yield increased to 2,938 metric tons (MT) from 2,450.49 metric tons in 2023. Sinahon credited this improvement to effective disease management, enhanced production support services, and the active involvement of local government units and farmer cooperatives.

For the first time in over two decades, Francisco Renomeron, 65, managed to harvest 25 kilos of abaca fiber from his newly rehabilitated farm situated along the roadside. Although this is still far from the 400 kilograms he used to harvest before the disease infestation in the early 2000s, Renomeron expressed optimism for recovery, stating, "We are happy that there is a chance of recovery."