TACLOBAN CITY, Aug. 12 -- The Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA) is expanding its survey and mapping of abaca farms to other areas of Southern Leyte after completing its initial fieldwork covering 1,250 farmers and more than 2,657 hectares of farmland in Sogod town.

PhilFIDA Eastern Visayas Regional Director Joseph Salas said in a phone interview Wednesday that the survey team will proceed to Bontoc and Maasin City as the agency works to establish a comprehensive profile of abaca farmers and an updated geospatial database of fibercrop areas across the province.

The expansion is part of the National Fibercrop Survey and Mapping Project (NFSMP), a nationwide initiative aimed at generating updated baseline data to ...