National Tobacco Administration to go into corporate farming

MANILA, Philippines - The National Tobacco Administration (NTA) has adopted the corporate farming approach in the raising of low grade tobacco to supply the raw material requirements of the tobacco dust processing plant that the agency has put up in La Union last month.

The plant, considered as the first in the country, processes tobacco leaves into tobacco dust that had been proven efficient as molluscicide wiping out snails  in fishponds.

The dust product along with tobacco pulp, tobacco extract concentrates, and ethanol that have been discovered as alternative products attainable from the crop have recently revolutionized the tobacco industry.

NTA Administrator Carlitos Encarnacion.said marginal and idle public and private lands would be harnessed for the low-grade tobacco production.

NTA is targetting a total area of 2,220 ha. for the massive planting project that would yield enough leaf materials to be converted into tobacco dust totalling 7.54 million kilos a year, deputy administrator for operations Dr. Robert Bonoan said.

He said that about 1.5 million kilos in sweepings and other shredded leaf wastages found in cigarette factories, redrying plants and trading centers would add up to the raw material supplies for the processing plant.

NTA will hire four farm workers for every ten hectares to raise and harvest low grade tobacco under a low-technology basis and get paid at P5,500 a month each.

After getting sundried, the produce will be hauled to the La Union plant where they will be processed into dust.

The NTA administrator said the stalks will be gathered for the tobacco pulp plant that will be established soon in Santa, Ilocos Sur in a one-hectare land provided by National Deputy Security Adviser Luis “Chavit” Singson.  

As this developed, DENR Ilocos Norte chief Juan de los Reyes Jr. has committed 100 ha. of public land in Carasi town and DENR Pangasinan officer Alexander Almogela pledged 25 ha. in San Manuel town for the low-tech tobacco farming project, Bonoan said.