Abaca, another member of the hard fibre group is the Spanish name for what is more widely called Manila hemp, and is indigenous to the Philippines. It is a member of the banana family of plants with the botanical name of MUSA TEXTILES. The Republic of the Philippines remains the largest producer at around 50,000 tons per annum, but over the past 40 years production has been developed in Ecuador which today produces some 11,000 tons.

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