The National Tobacco Administration (NTA) readied the distribution of the P100 million crop production grant allocated by the national government for the qualified tobacco farmers nationwide for cropping year (CY) 2024 – 2025.
In a recent meeting of the NTA Governing Board, presided over by Agriculture Undersecretary Deogracias Victor B. Savellano with NTA Administrator Belinda S. Sanchez, 16,666 tobacco farmers were identified as recipients of free cash assistance amounting to P6,000.00 each on or before December 15, 2024.
“The giving of production assistance for our tobacco farmers is realized under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. through Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. and the NTA to enhance the production of quality tobacco considering that the tobacco industry remains one of the strongest pillars of the country’s economy contributing 1% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 6% of the overall annual tax revenue collections,” Usec. Savellano said.
The recipients were identified by the NTA branch offices based on the guidelines set and approved by the NTA Governing Board.
Of the total recipients of the assistance, 9,055 are farmers listed under the NTA’s Tobacco Contract Growing System (TCGS) program, and 7,611 are non-TCGS farmers.
The TCGS farmer-recipients should have planted tobacco in one hectare of farmland and below, while the non- TCGS farmer – recipients must have grown tobacco in a half-hectare farmland and below, both for cropping years 2023 – 2024 and 2024 – 2025.
The beneficiaries must also be NTA-registered tobacco farmers personally tilling a tobacco farm, capable of providing adequate labor to attend to all activities in quality tobacco production, able to provide basic farm tools and equipment, such as plow, harrow, sprayer, work animal, irrigation pump, and curing bar/air curing shed, and should have adequate sources of good quality irrigation water and desirable for tobacco production.
Before the grant’s actual distribution, the NTA branch offices will ensure that the recipients will meet all the requirements and surely plant tobacco this coming planting season.
The number of recipients of the cash aid per NTA branch office follows Abra – 992 tobacco farmers; Batac (Ilocos Norte) – 2,778 farmers; Cagayan – 700 farmers; Candon (Ilocos Sur) – 2,573 farmers; Isabela – 2,925; La Union – 1,667; Mindanao – 1,666; Pangasinan – 1,765; and Vigan (Ilocos Sur) – 1,600.
The NTA started giving P6,000.00 free production assistance to qualified tobacco farmers in the cropping year 2023 – 2024. The grant funded through the General Appropriation Act (GAA) aims to augment the production support being extended by Buying Firms, Local Government Units (LGUs), and Farmer Cooperatives to the tobacco farmers to enhance quality tobacco production that eventually helps them increase their income. ### (By Freddie G. Lazaro, DA-National Tobacco Administration)
