ADVANCED NOT EDITED COPY United Nations Conference on Trade and Development BIOTRADE – DESIGNER’S TOOLKIT FIQUE OR CABUYA (FURCRAEA SPP.) Source: Compañía de Empaques S.A. and IM/Editores Sustainable Materials for the Fashion Industry Biodiversity / Ecosystems / Community Impact Review UNITED NATIONS New York and Geneva, 2012 NOTE The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations. This publication has not been formally edited. UNCTAD/DITC/TED/2012/8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This publication was prepared for the UNCTAD BioTrade Initiative by Daniel Cruz Hermida, Secretario Técnico Cadena Nacional de Fique (2005–2012) and José Antonio Gómez, Corporación Biocomercio Sostenible Colombia.Contributions were received by Adrienne Stork, Eduardo Escobedo and María del Carmen Romero, UNCTAD. This publication was developed within the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)–UNCTAD partnership, under the BioTrade Facilitation Programme – Phase II. UNCTAD/DITC/TED/2012/8 UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION Copyright © United Nations, 2013 All rights reserved 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION A. Name and specifications 1. Taxonomy 2. Common names 3. Name (etymology) B. Facts 1. Biological characteristics 2. Distribution 3. Habitat II. MARKET OVERVIEW A. Sourcing insights 1. Parts and derivatives in trade 2. Illegal trade 3. Actual or potential trade impacts B. Harvest overview 1. Production processes 2. Characteristics and composition 3. Exporters 3 4. Dyeing C. National utilization 1. Commercial applications 2. By-products D. Trade policies 1. National legislation 2. International regulations 3. Law enforcement III. BIODIVERSITY-BASED MATERIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REVIEW A. Conservation Overview 1. Legal status 2. Principal threats B. Sustainable use 1. Management (Centros de Beneficio Comunitario) C. Ecosystem and habitat impact 1. Role of the species in its ecosystem 2. Habitat trends 3. Habitat conservation benefits D. Access benefit sharing/community benefits References 4 I. INTRODUCTION Natural fibre has been important for human civilization since prehistoric times. Traditional usages include clothing, housing, or as packaging material for personal belongings or agricultural products. With the emergence of the manufacturing of synthetic fibres with very specific properties, the demand of natural fibres has declined. However, since 1995 the growing interest in the use of renewable natural resources and their incorporation in green-label products has again produced an increase in market appetite for natural fibres (Corpoica, 2004, cited by the MinAgricultura–Cadefique, 2006). Today, countries such as the United States of America, Canada and Germany use materials reinforced with natural fibres in the automotive industry, manufacturing, construction, packaging and even in the aerospace industry. In Colombia, fique has been cultivated and its fibre extracted since time immemorial. It has been and still is used for the production of hammocks, nets, strings, espadrilles, bags, sacks and saddles. The crushed fique leaves are also prescribed traditionally as therapeutic remedies to halt swelling; its roots are fortifiers and their infusions have cleansing properties. In some regions of the country, alcohol is produced by the maceration and fermentation of the juice of semi-mature leaves and tapetusa (liquor) of fique is then obtained by adding certain scents. The juice of the leaves is also used as a whitener for clothing. In veterinary medicine, the juice extracted from the leaves is used to control the common horse louse (mites). The bulbils are used – once the mucilaginous substances are removed–as pickles following preparation in oil, salt and vinegar. The stem is called scape or maguey, and it is often employed in the construction of houses, stairs or to sharpen knives (MinAgricultura –Cadefique, 2006). A. Name and specifications 1. Taxonomy Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Spermatophyta Clade: Angiospermae Subclade: Monocotyledonea Order: Liliflorae Family: Agavaceae Genus: Furcraea Species 1: Furcraea gigantea Species 2: Furcraea macrophylla Species 3: Furcraea cabuya Species 4: Furcraea castilla Species 5: Furcraea andina 5 2. Common names Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela: fique, cabuya, penca, fique perulero, maguey, cabui, cabuya blanca, chuchao, cocuiza. Brazil: piteira,pita. Mauritius: aloe, creole. 3. Name (etymology) The etymology of the name cabuya or fique is unknown and has not been established. B. Facts 1. Biological characteristics The fique is a large, upright stem plant. Its height varies between 2 and 7 metres, with dense foliage of green radial-shaped leaves each 1 to 3 metres long. The leaves are narrow (10 to 20 centimetres), fleshy, pointed, channelled and spiny, toothed in some varieties, presenting lines or faint stripes of about 3 millimetres long (figure 1). Young plants consist of a rosette of thick, fleshy bluish-green leaves and as the plant grows it develops a short trunk at the base which carries 75 to 100 sheets with lengths varying from 150 to 200 centimetres and widths of 15 to 20 centimetres at the widest part near the middle, narrowing to 10 centimetres near the base, which has a thickness of 6 to 8 centimetres. The fique has a very well-developed root system that spreads and grows deeply, making the species interesting for its anti-erosive properties. The plant’s productive life for fibre production begins at between 3 and 6 years, depending on growing conditions. Flowers (called maguey or escapo) are greenish white and blooms are produced only once during an individual plant’s life cycle. The seeds germinate on the parent plant and the bulbils fall already formed to the ground. For this reason, fique is considered a viviparous plant. Plants of more than 50 years of age can be found, but the typical life span varies between 10 and 20 years. 6 Figure 1. Fique leaves Source: IM/Editores 2. Distribution The fique is deemed to produce the Colombian natural fibre by excellence. This fibre is derived from the leaves. The plant originates from the tropical area in the Andean region of Colombia and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The species has spread to the eastern coast of Brazil and throughout the West Indies. In the seventeenth century the Dutch took it from the State of Pernambuco (Brazil) to Mauritius, where it has become sub spontaneous (growing and spreading naturally). Fique is by nature a tropical plant and its cultivation is only possible in regions where tropical conditions prevail during most of the year. It is a rustic plant that adapts to diverse agro-ecological conditions. In Colombia, fique is cultivated, transformed and commercialized in 13 departments (figure 2) and it is estimated there are 72 “fiquero” municipalities, the main ones being Santander, Antioquia, Cauca, Nariño and Boyacá, which account for 99 per cent of the national production and the harvest area (CORPOICA – IICA, 2004 cited by Biogestion– Cadefique, 2009). 7 Figure 2. Departments with fique production in Colombia Source: STN Cadefique. MADR. 2010. 8 3. Habitat The fique is a xerophytic plant, tolerant to arid conditions and soils poor in nutrients, but it requires semi-humid conditions, warm temperature and exposure to sunlight for good development. In Colombia, this plant grows in almost all climates, from coastal plains to elevations above 3,000 metres, but it achieves its best development and productivity in specific environmental conditions of climate and soil. In Colombia this is found in the coffee producing zones of the country (see table 1). 9 Table 1. Environmental conditions (climate and soil) for the cultivation of fique Variable Parameters Value Weather Average precipitation 2016 millimetres Average temperature 15.5°C Sunshine 4.18 hours per day Altitude (average) 2350 metres above sea level Soil Texture Sandy pH 5.1–5.4 Phosphorous Calcium Low Magnesium Boron High Organic matter High Effective depth 42 centimetres Source: MinAmbiente – MinAgricultura – Cadefique, 2006. II. MARKET OVERVIEW The current world market demands products that are natural, not polluting, free from chemical substances, biodegradable and non-noxious to the health of the consumer. This has led to a renewed and growing demand for natural derived inputs and products, many of which had been previously replaced by artificial manufactured products that were lower in cost but less environmentally friendly. Fique has been recovering its market potential as a natural fibre for the global market. This has been due not only to its natural competitive advantages as a raw material for the production of biodegradable products, but also because of its potential for product diversification and the opening of new market niches. Colombia is the world’s largest producer of fique fibre. Other countries producing smaller amounts include Ecuador and Costa Rica. Table 2 provides a classification of textile fibres according to their origin. Fique gives a hard fibre the characteristics of which have provided certain competitive advantages over other fibres that can be found in the market for