Pineapple Fiber Treatment Technology Center will soon rise in Ormoc City

After the successful launch of DOST - PTRI's registered patent on Blended Spun Yarns during the National Intellectual Property Month, DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña announced that the Pineapple Fiber Treatment Facility to rise in Ormoc City in a bid to further strengthen the country’s pineapple fiber industry.

He said the DOST has earmarked P880,000 for the setting up of the facility and for the implementation of science and technology (S&T) initiatives in the area.

Besides Pineapple fiber, some examples are banana and abaca. These blended spun yarns are made from a mixture of natural fibers, with other natural plant or man-made fibers.

ABACA fibers are extracted from leaf sheath around the trunk of the abaca plant (Musa textilis), a close relative of the banana, native to the Philippines and widely distributed in the humid tropics.

PINEAPPLE fibers are made from the leaves of a pineapple plant and are commonly used in the Philippines to create a handwoven fabric.

BANANA fibers are extracted from the pseudo-stem of the banana plant which is considered one of the world's most useful plants.

“The DOST-VIII, through the Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST) Program, is allocating 880,000 to establish the Pineapple Fiber Treatment Technology Center and provision of other S&T (science and technology) interventions in education for the community,” he stated in a report.

The acquisition of fiber processing equipment known as pineapple fiber treatment recirculating degumming vessel is part of the agency's support package, he added.

“To further enhance value-adding initiatives for the pineapple fiber industry, the DOST VIII will be providing assistance for the adoption in Ormoc City, Leyte of the pineapple fiber degumming technology developed by the DOST-Philippine Textile Research and Development Institute (PTRI),” de la Peña said.

Source: DOST-PTRI Facebook Page