Alcala urges local farmers to continue planting tobacco

CANDON CITY, Ilocos Sur, Philippines —  Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said he is in favor of allowing farmers to continue planting tobacco as there are several uses for the tobacco leaf other than making cigarettes.

Alcala was reacting to a call by some sectors, including the Department of Health, for farmers to stop raising tobacco and shifting to other crops instead.

Addressing a big crowd that attended the inauguration of the National Tobacco Administration’s (NTA) new branch office building here, Alcala urged scientists to speed up their efforts to find and develop other commercial uses of tobacco so he can face oppositors with more confidence.

Alcala cited the discovery by NTA researchers of an extract solution that is an organic remedy against pests damaging vegetables, flowers, and mangoes.

Alcala authored while serving as a congressman the  Organic Agriculture Act of 2010  (R.A. 100681) that promotes  the  use of organic inputs in agriculture, for which he has earned the title “Father of Organic Farming”.

The NTA had also developed tobacco dust that eliminates  snails and other pests inhabiting fishponds, and tobacco pulp that  can be utilized for the manufacture of paper.

A tobacco dust  processing plant was established by NTA in La Union in 2009 to convert  low grade tobacco leaves or ‘rejects’ as well as tobacco sweepings and wastes gathered after trading operations into dust material.  Fishpond operators in Bataan and other places in Region 3 have  utilized its initial production.

Tobacco is  a prime crop in many provinces in Northern Luzon with thousands of farming  families depending on the crop for livelihood. The crop has been fuelling  the economy of the region.

“We will fight for the (tobacco)  industry,” he told the local officials whose municipalities receive annual shares from the tobacco excise tax revenues collected by the  government from cigarette manufacturers.    The government gets an average of P30 billion yearly in  excise tax collections  from cigarette makers.

Among those who attended the inauguration of the NTA branch office here are NTA Administrator Edgardo Zaragoza, House Deputy Speaker Eric Singson, Ilocos Sur Reps. Luis Ryan Singson and Eric Owen Singson, local officials and industry stakeholders.