The country’s overall leaf tobacco production this year is expected to slightly increase by 0.4 percent to 45.58 million kg from 2024’s 45.4 million kg, according to the National Tobacco Administration (NTA).
Production is sustained this year as last year’s output is 7.5 percent higher than the 42.25 million kg recorded in 2023, NTA said during the second International Tobacco Agricultural Summit in Quezon City yesterday.
Stakeholders attribute the improvement in the domestic leaf tobacco production for 2024 and 2025 to better weather conditions and farmers’ shift from planting corn crops, among others.
“To cite an example, in our area in San Fabian, Pangasinan, farmers have shifted from corn to tobacco as corn is now experiencing problems on fall army worm infestation,” said Saturnino Distor, Philippine Tobacco Growers Association (PTGA) president, during the event.
“Based on meetings with other PTGA members, there are also many similar instances of farmers who decided to shift to tobacco planting from corn,” Distor added.
The PTGA leader also noted wider use of farm machinery as well as stronger support from both the public and private sectors, which have enticed farmers to shift to tobacco farming.
Amid this development, Nestor Casela, NTA deputy administrator for operations, said in the same event the average buying price is expected to be lower by 22.7 percent this year at P99.78 per kg from 2024’s average of P129.04 per kg.
“The demand for tobacco in 2023 is much higher as compared to 2024. That’s why that perks up your price. Now, for 2025, that is a projection but I’m not so certain as to the derivation of the reduction but that is the projection made by the tobacco traders,” Casela said.
Average buying price of tobacco in 2023 was at P137.32 per kg, which is 6 percent higher than 2024’s average buying price.
“If there is reduced demand and because of good prices prior years, that would result in higher prices and there’s no need to convince farmers to plant more. And that’s the trend actually for tobacco… If the price for the preceding year is higher, there’s no need to campaign to plant more tobacco. Automatically, they (farmers) plant more,” Casela added.