To understand the history of the abaca is to understand the history of the Philippines and its colonial past.

The earliest account on the use of abaca was written by Pigafetta, the Spanish chronicler of the historic voyage of Magellan to the Philippines in 1521.  According to his writings, indigenous Filipinos had already been wearing clothes made of abaca fiber when the Spaniards arrived on Philippine shores.

In the 1800s, a historian confirmed that abaca is indigenous to the Philippines.  He also observed that there were extensive plantations of the plant in Luzon, especially in Bicolandia, a long peninsula stretching southeastwards of the Philippines.

In 1820, John White, an American Lieutenant of the U.S. Navy, brought abaca fibers to the United States.  Five years later, the first exportation of abaca fibers was made to the U.S.   Soon thereafter, abaca became well-known as one of the strongest materials for ropes.

In the early 1900s, many Americans and Japanese were drawn to the Philippines with the purpose of establishing abaca plantations in the country.  Davao, a province in Southern Mindanao, was chosen as the most suitable area for abaca.

In the early 1920s, abaca became the premier export crop of the country.  During the 1940s, U.S. Papermakers began using abaca for varied pliable paper products.  In the late 1950s and 1960s, abaca became the principal material for teabags, document paper, exchange bills, filters, and a host of specialty products.

Today, the centuries-old Philippine abaca industry remains formidable and vibrant as the versatile abaca fiber has found new outlets with new demands.  In 2008, the Philippines produced almost 68,000 tons of abaca fiber, of which more than 13,000 tons were exported to countries including the United Kingdom, Japan, China, and the United States.  In addition, more than 18,000 tons of abaca pulp were exported to Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and other parts of Europe, Asia, and South America.