REGULATORY SEMINAR-WORKSHOP ON CLASSIFICATION/GRADING AND INSPECTION OF PHILIPPINE COMMERCIAL FIBERS HELD IN BICOL

Date Posted October 2017

The PhilFIDA organized a seminar cum workshop on the Classification/Grading and Inspection of Philippine Commercial Fibers which was held last 24-28 October 2017 in Legaspi City.

The seminar focused on the discussion of techniques and activities for the improvement of abaca fiber quality which include topics on the Philippine National Standard (PNS) on classification and grading of hand-stripped & spindle stripped and decorticated abaca fibers, PNS for coir and banana fibers, standard classification & grading of buntal, raffia, pineapple, salago and maguey fibers. Lectures were also presented on the procedures and techniques in fiber inspection, in the identification of spurious fibers, classification & standard grading of canton & MSP fibers. The process flow of standardization activities in a grading & baling establishment was also demonstrated. Part of the workshop was to expose all regional directors on how to conduct check inspection of approved abaca bales. The participants were brought to the Pacific Cordage Corporation (Sto. Domingo, Albay), a rope manufacturing plant, and to Albay Agro-Industrial Development Corp. and Ching Bee Trading (both in Tabaco, Albay).

The Seminar-Workshop on the Identification and Classification and Grading of Philippine Commercial Fibers is one of the undertakings of PhilFIDA in addressing the problem of supply of fiber which remains low and its quality that continuously deteriorate for the last decade.

PhilFIDA Executive Director Kennedy Costales conducts check inspection of approved abaca bales in one of the grading and baling establishments in Legazpi City.