MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law declaring Catanduanes province as the country's abaca capital, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

On April 15, Duterte approved Republic Act No. 11700 recognizing the abaca (Manila hemp) industry "as a driver of rural development," with the capacity to increase the country's export earnings "tremendously."

Catanduanes is the country's largest abaca producer, based on the measure.

"The State hereby recognizes the importance of abaca industry... not only because of its singular potential as a raw material... and put the name of the country in the map of the world for producing the biggest volume of abaca fiber," the law read.

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The industry also provides jobs to many small farmers in rural areas, the measure indicated. With this, the law is seen as something that would support agricultural development in the province.

The Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority in 2020 said 52 of the country's 81 provinces produce abaca. Most of the 142,000 hectares of hemp farmland is in Bicol Region.

The country accounts for about 85 percent of the abaca market, followed by Ecuador at 14 percent and Costa Rica at 1 percent, the group added.

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