TINEG, Abra (PIA) – The National Tobacco Administration (NTA) recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Local Government Unit of Tineg for the establishment of Tobacco Contract Growing System demo farms in the municipality.
“The said MOA seeks to establish tobacco demo farms in barangay Caganayan, in this northernmost municipality,” NTA-Abra OIC Branch Head Atty. Jun Fred Parado shared in a facebook post.
He explained that under the MOA, the NTA will provide technical assistance to the tobacco farmers and help in marketing by linking farmers with tobacco buyer firms.
Meanwhile, the local government will give production assistance such as farm inputs and all incidental expenses to be incurred in growing tobacco.
“LGU Tineg sought the assistance of the NTA, thru the branch office, for the possible growing of tobacco in their area to augment revenues in this locality,” Parado said.
NTA Agriculturist I Marife Perez Peralta also shared that after validation, geotagging, and soil sampling, a total of 22.50 hectares of rain-fed areas in Caganayan are eyed to be planted with Virginia tobacco within the tobacco planting season of crop year 2024-2025.
This partnership between the NTA and the municipal government will benefit at least 77 prospective tobacco farmers in Tineg.
Peralta said that they are now working out a schedule for the orientation-seminar for the farmer-beneficiaries.
Tineg Mayor Brethen Jireeh Crisologo, in a meeting with the NTA, expressed the LGU’s enthusiasm to develop its tobacco industry to further improve the agriculture and the economy of the tourist town.
Aside from Tineg, the municipalities of Manabo, Tubo, and Licuan-Baay are also working with the NTA for proposed expansion of tobacco plantation areas.
Based on the latest NTA monitoring released in April 2024, the buying price per kilogram of the prime class of tobacco of the flue-cured Virginia tobacco has reached as high as P113.00. (JJPM-PIA CAR, Abra)
