Dr. Ruben Gapasin III is the director and professor of Plant Pathology and heads the NARC at the Visayas State University (VSU), a center of excellence in abaca research and development. It aims to make abaca industry globally competitive, socially acceptable and sustainable. It also aims to improve the general well being of the resource poor abaca farmers and other stakeholders through development and promotion of effective abaca technologies, commercialization of abaca based products for domestic and foreign markets and policy reforms advocacy.
It also envisions to enhance productivity and profitability of the abaca industry through the development of market oriented, socially acceptable and sustainable. It also aims to develop high yielding abaca varieties with high quality fibers suited to specific use and uses resistant to pests tolerant to the environment.
Gapasin said the NARC also undertakes Productivity Improvement, Genetic Resource Enhancement, Characterization, Evaluation, Conservation and Database Development of High Yielding Pest Resistant and Stress Tolerant Abaca Varieties with good quality fibers suited to specific end uses performance and evaluation of promising abaca accessories and hybrids biotechnology assisted development of abaca varieties for resistance of abaca mosaic (AMV) Integrated Soil and Nutrients Management.
It likewise delves on postharvest processing product development improvement and diversification development and/or improvement of postharvest processing and utilization technologies primary and secondary tools, machines and gadgets.
Among its products are waste non-structural car parts, structural composites, textiles, GEO textile, packaging materials, and substitutes for fiberglass. (LEO DUMON)