Archives

Vol. 8 No. 5
May 1-31, 2007

Benefits from the ‘Queen’
by Ellaine Grace L. Nagpala

Camarines Norte takes pride in being the fourth largest pineapple-producing province in the country.  In 2006, it devoted a total land area of 2,400 hectares for the production of the ‘Queen’ pineapple (Ananas comusus cv. ‘Queen’). The 'Queen' or Formosa cultivar has been found to be very adaptable to the soil and climate of Camarines Norte where it is usually intercropped with coconut.

The ‘Queen’ is among the three cultivars of pineapple cultivated in the country; the two others are ‘Smooth Cayene’ and ‘Red Spanish’.  It is a small variety whose weight does not exceed two kilograms.  As compared to ‘Smooth Cayene’, ‘Queen’ is more resistant to disease infection.  The ‘Queen’ pineapple is also renowned for its golden yellow flesh, crisp texture, and mild delicate flavor which made it very suitable for fresh consumption.

But the pineapple is more than a source of nutritious fruit for snack or dessert.

In all the 12 towns of Camarines Norte where an average of 25,000 ‘Queen’ pineapple is planted every hectare, a batch of 875,000 leaves can be derived.  Such number of leaves can be considered as a farm waste.  However, instead of totally discarding the pineapple leaves, the residents of Camarines Norte have thought of something where they could develop the waste product into something useful and beneficial.

The Labo Progressive Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LPMCP) is among the institutions in Labo, Camarines Norte that promotes livelihood projects on pineapple production and integrated leaves processing.  Among its missions is to provide more employment and create more innovative products that will respond to the needs of its members and the international market.

During the recently held regional technology forum for Luzon B Cluster in Naga City, the general manager of the LPMCP, Mr. Mario M. Espeso, presented products that can be derived from the Formosa pineapple, specifically from its leaves.  he production of handwoven and machine- decorticated fibers is among the livelihood programs of the LPMPC for its members, the majority of whom are farmers.

Handwoven piña cloth
The Barong Tagalog became famous for the use of handwoven cloth from the fibers of the pineapple leaves aside from being the national costume of the Filipinos.

The LPMPC has adopted the method of producing fibers form the leaves of the pineapple through manual scraping from the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI).  Contrary to the fibers produced using a machine, the manual scraping method produces good quality fiber since it allows the separation of the white, fine, and low in strength fibers from the coarse, brownish, strong fibers.  The fibers extracted from the leaves of the ‘Queen’ pineapple are suited for the manufacture of piña cloth since it has passed the test on fineness, tensile strength, and the required quality standard by the PTRI.

The fibers derived from the leaves of the ‘Queen’ pineapple undergo the punctilious task of weaving to achieve a piña cloth.  Sometimes, the fibers are interwoven with silk to come up with piña silk, which is later made to Barong Tagalog, camisas, or kimona.

Fabric and paper from machine decorticated fiber
The LPMCP pioneered the use of machine decorticator in Camarines Norte in extracting the fiber from the leaves of ‘Queen’ pineapple.  With the use of the machine, the time spent on the extraction of fibers from the pineapple leaves became shorter, and the job became relatively easier as compared to the manual extraction method.

Generally, the fiber extracted through this method is strong and silky in appearance, hence, can be manufactured either into fabric or paper.

The polypiña cloth is a fine, translucent fabric composed of 20 percent decorticated fiber blended with 80 percent polyester.  The cloth is used as a textile material for office and school uniforms.  Due to its good quality, the polypiña cloth was launched as one of the tropical fabrics along with banana and abaca fabrics in the 1st International Manila FAME Market Week in 1997.

The decorticated fiber is also an excellent material in making a handmade piña paper as it produces a fine, smooth, thin paper.  This can be mixed with other materials such as cogon or rice straw to make the paper stronger at the same time yield a different quality of handmade paper.  In turn, the handmade paper can be made into handicrafts, novelty items, paper thread and paper fabric.

Market potential
The use of pineapple fiber in the textile industry has long been recognized and the demand is continually increasing.  Together with abaca and banana, fiber from the ‘Queen’ pineapple is now being developed as substitutes for cellulose fibers.  Its considerable volume of production is being eyed to supplement the limited production of cotton.

In the case of LPMCP, the cooperatives’ fiber-based products are marketed locally and internationally.  Currently, the cooperative supplies its handwoven Formosa pineapple cloth to Laguna-based embroiders, garments manufacturers, boutique, and department stores.  With the demand in foreign markets for good piña cloth that can meet the preference of high end consumers, the cooperative has also targeted to export its handwoven products to Japan, Hong Kong, USA, Canada, France, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, The Netherlands, and other countries in Asia.

Meanwhile, the signing of Republic Act 9242, otherwise known as “An Act of Prescribing the Use of the Philippine Tropical Fabrics for Uniforms of Public Officials and Employees and for Other Purpose,” will eventually call for the commercialization of the decorticated piña fiber which is needed in the fabrication of polypiña cloth.  The demand for the polypiña cloth will soon increase pursuant to RA 9242.  This will eventually require increase in the market production of the tropical fiber to meet future demands.

Aside from the manufacturers of school and office uniforms, the machine decorticated fiber can also target manufacturers of carpets, bags, and handicrafts, spinning mills, and foreign companies.

The handmade paper from the machine decorticated fiber commands good price in the market due to its distinct overall quality.  This product is very popular in foreign countries such as Japan, USA, and Australia, and in Europe.  Potential markets for this product would be easy to find as crafts and novelty items made from the handwoven paper are always in demand in the local market.

BAR’s endeavor
The Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) is mandated to coordinate agriculture research and development activities.  More so, it defines its role in the modernization of agriculture through the commercialization of mature technologies that would be of great help to our Filipino farmers and fisherfolk.  The extraction of fiber from the leaves of the ‘Queen’ pineapple and its fabrication into cloth or paper is just another among the many mature technologies ready for commercialization that will be benefitted by the farmers and of those in the marginalized and business sectors.

Being among the flagship crops of Camarines Norte, whether as a fruit crop or a fiber crop, the ‘Queen’ pineapple has marked its contribution to at least alleviate poverty in one of the poorest provinces in the country.

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Sources:

1. The official website of regional development council V.  13 June 2007.  http://www.rdc5.gov.ph/lindgcp_320/camarines_norte.htm
2. The official website of the Labo Progressive Mutt-Purpose Cooperative.  13 June 2007. http://www.labocoop.org/index.html
3. Morton, J. Pineapple.  1987.  Fruits of warm climates.  14 June 2007.  http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/pineapple.html

May 1-31 2007 Articles:

:: BAR celebrates Farmers and Fisherfolk Month; showcases 5 commerciable R&D technologies
:: 2nd Regional Techno Forum head starts in Luzon B Cluster
:: BAR and OptiServe collaborate for ICT community-based initiatives
:: Rillo wins 2007 Gawad Saka for outstanding agricultural scientist
:: BAR links with DLSU-Manila on ITMSI program
:: SMIARC intensifies RDE for all commodities
:: BAR conducts IP awareness and training workshop
:: BAR spearheads pre-implementation meetings on ludong and abaca
:: ICT to boost DA programs and services
:: Benefits from the ‘Queen’
:: Securing a sturdy ground for the duck industry
:: BAR leads synergy meeting on sweet sorghum initiatives