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| Multi-sectoral meeting to revitalized tobacco industry in Ilocos Norte. (Lei Adriano) |
By Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff Reporter
LAOAG CITY—Bright prospects looms ahead for tobacco-producing
municipalities in the province as a multi-national tobacco company assured
local government units and farmers to give their all-out support from beginning
to end should they decide to closely work with them in revitalizing the tobacco
industry here.
In a multi-sectoral meeting attended by mayors, policy makers, farmers,
private tobacco buyers and personnel of the National Tobacco Administration and
other concerned national government agencies at the Capitol session hall,
Winston Uy, president of the Universal Leaf Philippines, Inc. expressed
commitment to give their all-out support to tobacco growers in the Ilocos
region.
“We are committed to work with you. So, we are asking your help to
reintroduce tobacco growing as a livelihood. We will be there until the end,”
said Mr. Uy citing the company have technicians to help
farmers produce good variety.
To revitalize the tobacco industry in the province, the ULPI with the
support of the local government units here and the National Tobacco
Administration based in Batac City is offering a contract growing scheme to
farmers.
This way, farmers are assured to have ready market for their products. Both
technical and financial assistance will also be provided to them.
“Let us help create that cycle of goodness. We can only provide a good
profitability. If local government unit helps, farmers win,” Mr. Uy said.
To help in the documentation of tobacco production in the province, the
ULPI president promised to create a software for transparency on real time
basis.
“Let’s create more safeguards. Whatever planted will be registered in our
system. You get transparency before harvest,” Mr. Uy explained in response to
the current problem on the presence of cowboys (middle men) who are buying
tobacco to farmers in Ilocos Norte and then sell it in other provinces,
resulting to lesser share of the province in terms of tobacco excise tax.
For his part, NTA administrator Robert Seares told farmers the agency also
provides soft loan to them should they wish to avail of their farm
mechanization program.
Globally, the demand for tobacco remains high according to tobacco traders but
buyers also require quality products. This is the reason why old tobacco
growers need to level up and embrace farm mechanization to improve their
quality of production.
In Ilocos Norte, the Office of the Provincial Agriculture reported a total
of 1,541 hectares of tobacco in the cropping year of 2018-2019 which is
slightly less than the 2,001 hectares planted in 2017-2018.
Active tobacco growers in the province are the towns of Banna, Batac,
Dingras, Marcos, Sarrat, Piddig, Paoay and Pinili.
“Ilocos Norte has always been proud of its contribution to tobacco
industry. We can do so much more,” said Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M.
Manotoc as he assured the provincial government will always be in full support
to revitalized the tobacco industry in the province.
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