By Richa Noriega Researchers of the Department of Science and Technology-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) have recently discovered that the “Bandala” abaca hybrid yields high quality fiber that makes a good material for pulp and paper. (DOST WEBSITE / MANILA BULLETIN) In a statement, the agency said it provides support to the abaca industry through its research and development program to expand the use of abaca in making specialty paper and other high-end products. According to DOST-FPRDI, “Bandala” is the result of more than 60 years of work by scientists, mostly from the Institute of Plant Breeding–University of the Philippines Los Baños. “Our local scientists have spent hundreds of hours in laboratories trying to come up with the kind of plant that would meet the needs of local abaca farmers and adapt to changing environmental conditions,” the agency said. The department said the result of breeding the right types of abaca and banana (the two plant species are close relatives), the “Bandala” has acquired the traits of the ideal hybrid. “Our finding was that the physical properties (basis weight, thickness, folding endurance, and burst, tensile and tear indices) of the Bandala paper sheets we studied were comparable to those of commercial abaca,” said DOST-FPRDI researcher Aimee Trixie R. Habon. “This is important because it shows that the hybrid has high economic potential,” she added. The abaca, known as the world’s strongest natural fiber, is native to the Philippines. The country is the world’s number one abaca supplier and source of livelihood for 200,000 farming families in 56 provinces. Abaca is currently a preferred raw material for various modern technologies employed in making ship and power transmission ropes, car interiors, well-drilling cables, furnishing, textile, as well as specialty and security paper.