The National Tobacco Administration (NTA) sees local tobacco production to increase by over 4 percent this year to 48.25 million kilograms (kg) from last year’s 46.28 million kg. driven by the expected recovery after last year’s heavy rains.
Robert Victor Seares Jr., NTA administrator, in a virtual briefing yesterday said the number of tobacco farmers in the country will likely to go up by almost 4 percent this year to 40,562 from last year’s 39,078 while areas planted to tobacco can improve by over 3 percent to 27,480 hectares (ha) from 26,643 ha.
Seares said local production hit 49.15 million kg in 2020 but fell by almost 6 percent to 46.28 million kg in 2021 due to the damage caused by rains in large tobacco areas in Luzon.
The NTA is also enhancing the documentation and certification of tobacco acceptances and production by streamlining processes using global positioning system, standardized monitoring and validation forms as well as an upgraded database.
These processes will ensure transparency in assessing growth progress of tobacco areas and will improve the accuracy of tobacco production per area. This will also give the NTA accurate basis in the allocation of tobacco excise tax share of each tobacco-producing locality.
The enhanced system of documentation is also expected to improve excise tax collections. -Jed Macapagal
