3 Abaca Varieties Now Registered with the National Seed Industry Council
Date Posted December 2017
Just recently, the PhilIFDA was able to have 3 varieties of commercially planted abaca registered with the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC).
In its 41st NSIC meeting at the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) in Malate, Manila on 23 November 2017, the chairpersons of seven commodity crops presented their varieties that were recommended for registration. Presided by Secretary Emmanuel C. Piñol as the council chairman, the abaca varieties presented and were subsequently approved for registration by the council are Abuab (NSIC 2017 Mt 001), Inosa (NSIC 2017 Mt 002) and Tangongon (NSIC 2017 Mt 003).The request for registration with the council underwent deliberation by the NSIC Secretariat during the 27th Technical Secretariat meeting held at BPI-National Seed Quality Control Services (NSQCS) conference room in Quezon City on 12 October 2017 which was led by BPI Director George Y. Culaste.
As the registration was a first case for abaca, the NSIC guidelines were appropriately revised and amended to include registration of commercially grown abaca varieties. The criteria to be met are: (1) the variety should yield at least 800kg/hectare dried fiber; (2) the variety should have fiber recovery of at least 1.5%; (3) the variety is commercially planted as of the time of registration; and (4) the technical information of the variety is published in at least 2 reputable journals/papers/periodicals/agency reports.
Incidentally, the NSIC-approved varieties would be the ones recommended for commercial planting especially in the abaca plant nurseries that are applying for accreditation in the agency. There is assurance that these varieties have passed the test of fiber quality in terms of yield and fiber recovery, among others. The registration of abaca varieties is also a plus in the enforcement of government policies and guidelines especially on quality standards and in the undertaking of inspection and monitoring of the set rules and regulations on the industry.
