Tobacco farmers attend a consultation meeting on April 24, 2026 at the NTA conference hall in Batac City, Ilocos Norte. The NTA is urging farmers to enter into contract growing system to ensure ready market of their produce. (Photo by Leilanie Adriano)
BATAC CITY－The National Tobacco Administration (NTA) is encouraging tobacco farmers to enter into contract growing to ensure a ready market for their produce.
NTA officials, led by administrator Belinda Sanchez, met with local chief executives, municipal agriculturists and tobacco growers in Ilocos Norte on Friday to strengthen support for the tobacco contract growing system.
The conference aimed to help protect farmers from the volatile market due to the oversupply of flue-cured Virginia tobacco this harvest season.
NTA officials said there is an oversupply of 9.6 million kilos of tobacco accumulated since 2022, while other countries like China, India, Indonesia, and Zimbabwe have grown tobacco this year.
This resulted in overproduction this year, which affected the trading of flue-cured Virginia tobacco leaves, particularly those coming from non-contracted farmers.
Accredited tobacco trading firms may no longer be able to accommodate all their produce.
“So the NTA is advocating contract growing to ensure a ready market, and at the same time, they are guided to ensure they meet the quality standards not just locally but also globally,” Sanchez said in a media interview after the consultative meeting.
Through contract growing, Sanchez underscored that farmers will have greater income security because authorized tobacco companies commit to purchase their produce under agreed terms and conditions.
With the support of local government units, the system also gives farmers better access to production inputs, technical support and financial assistance from contracting firms, helping improve both the quality and volume of their harvest, the NTA administrator added.
The NTA also reminded farmers to transact only with licensed and accredited tobacco buyers to avoid illegal trading activities and unfair pricing schemes.
During the consultation, tobacco farmers raised their concerns about the grading system of their produce, which affected their income.
Nestor Pedronan, president of the Northern Luzon tobacco growers association, appealed to the government to help farmers by providing a clear mechanism for the tobacco grading system that dictates the quality of tobacco leaves they produce.
Currently, the NTA is coordinating and negotiating with tobacco manufacturers and accredited traders to help ensure that all tobacco produced by farmers this season will still be accommodated.
Tobacco farming remains one of the major sources of livelihood in the Ilocos Region. (PNA)