The abaca industry is expected to continue making a stronghold in both the domestic and international markets. Below is a summary of the opportunities, prospects and developments in the abaca industry.

• Strong demand for abaca as a result of the expanding market for specialty papers for food packaging as in tea bags and meat casings, filter papers, non-wovens and disposables.
• Growing demand to conserve forest resources and to protect the environment from problems posed by non-biodegradable materials, particularly plastics, contributed to the growing demand for natural fibers like abaca.
• Due to the environmental degradation, Japan, which is one of the major abaca consumers, is now replacing PVC with natural fibers or materials free from chlorine.
• Development of new uses for abaca such as textile materials for the production of pinukpok or as blending material, with silk, piña or polyester, in the production of high-end fabrics.
• Growing demand for handmade paper as art media, photo frames, albums, stationery, flowers, all purpose cards and decoratives.