 |
| Filipino Tobacco Farmer |
The Philippine Tobacco Industry is one of the pillars of Philippine agriculture. It is the crop where farmers of the Ilocos region largely depend upon. As such, the industry sector needs assistance in increasing its crop yield and production so as to sustain its viability and ensure the livelihood of the tobacco dependent agricultural sector.
Assistance worth Php210 million was provided by the National Tobacco Administration to tobacco farmers in Ilocos that will produce 6.5 million kilograms of cured tobacco. National production of tobacco is pegged at 45 million kilograms for this year and the assistance will account for 14% of that targeted national production volume.
Access to new technologies, extension programs, training and information, financial credit assistance and expedited payment of harvests will comprise part of the assistance. Of the Php 210 million, about Php115 million will be for land preparation, fertilizers and pesticides aside from suckerides.
The country posted earnings of US$344 million in tobacco exports last 2017. There are 8,331 tobacco farmers cultivating 5,143 hectares of tobacco farmlands under the contract growing system.
Post a Comment