Better tobacco crop vital to planned agribiz beltway in Northern Luzon

Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban has urged the stakeholders of the tobacco industry to work together to ensure the production of high quality tobacco saying an improved tobacco crop would be vital in President Arroyo’s program of establishing Northern Luzon as an agribusiness quadrangle.

The DA chief acknowledged tobacco as a "priority" commodity in the North in terms of agribusiness.

Mrs. Arroyo, in her recent SONA, unveiled her grand plan of dividing the country into mega regions with Northern Luzon as an agribusiness beltway.

"We know there are problems occuring everyday in so far as the virginia, the native, and the wrapper industry are concerned, but definitelly working altogether as one will help solve the multifarious problems of the industry," Panganiban said.

Panganiban, who was the guest of honor and speaker at the celebration of the National Tobacco Administration’s (NTA) l9th anniversary, recently paid tribute to the NTA headed by Administrator Carlitos Encarnacion. Panganiban said NTA’s policies and programs helped bring greater incomes to tobacco growing communities and adequate employment to the 600,000 small tobacco farmers.

He noted that the highest buying prices of tobacco were reached last year with P75 per kilo for virginia flavored tobacco and P60 per kilo for the neutral type of virginia.

Pushing for a further improved crop, Panganiban said his department will push for a "market-driven quality production through the Tobacco Contract Growing System, outside of human resources development for our tobacco farmers."

The anniversary celebration held at the NTA compound drew the big guns of the industry including lawyers Mabel Mamba and Carmen Erece of Philip Morris Philippines; Antonio Abaya, president of Fortune Tobacco Corp.; Rodolfo Salanga, president of Philippine Tobacco Institute, Winston Uy, president of Universal Leaf Philippines; and Carlos Cachola, president of the Philippine Association of Tobacco-Based Cooperatives.

NTA deputy administrator Orkhan Usman who welcomed the guests thanked them for lending their time for the agency’s anniversary program.

The DA chief also pledged his support for NTA’s entry into food production after the agency was harnessed by Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson to manage the province-owned Multiline Food Processing Plant. — Teddy P. Molina