Manila Rope is made using 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.

When mature the abaca plant consists of about 12 to 30 stalks radiating from a central root system. Each of these stalks is about 12 to 20 feet high and the fibre is stripped from the stem rather than the leaf, with each stalk being cut into sheaths and then strips or “tuxies”. The strips are then scraped (i.e. either hand or machine “decorticated”) to remove the pulp, then sometimes washed and dried. The outer leaves of the plant are wider and contain more but coarser fibre than the inner leaves.

Harvesting of the stalks usually takes place between 18 and 24 months from the first shoots. The abaca plant to the untrained eye, can easily be mistaken for the banana plant – without the fruit.

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. Production in the Philippines is based on a “smallholder” system of agriculture, with most farms being between 3 and 5 hectares in size. The Ecuadorian system is more reminiscent of the African sisal industry and is essentially a large estate-based industry although there is also a substantial smallholder Co-operative movement.

Manila hemp, which became known to the western commercial world in about 1820, was, until the advent of henequen, used for general cordage purposes where it largely replaced true hemp and flax. Until the advent of the first synthetic fibres manila was the premier material for marine ropes where its strength, lightness and water-resistance were appreciated.

Today, although marine and other ropes are still important, it is mainly used in the paper making industry. Because of its relatively long staple length, strength and cellulose content, it is particularly used in the manufacture of a range of specialised papers including tea and coffee bags, sausage casing paper, electrotytric papers, currency notes, cigarette filter papers, medical /food preparation/disposal papers and some high-quality writing paper. There is also a thriving abaca fibre handicraft industry operating in the Philippines, exporting on a world wide basis.