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The Philippine Association of Tobacco-based Cooperatives (PATCO) and the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) expect a lavish harvest of good quality leaf this year with nearly a 25% expansion in the tobacco plantation area. Farm coverage is estimated at 31,647 hectares up 6,329 ha. from 25,318 hectares planted last season. In Ilocos Sur area, the country’s biggest producer of the Virginia tobacco, in Vigan City, for instance, reports show that more than 2,252 hectares of land were planted with tobacco compared to only to about 1,691 hectares last year. Similarly, in Candon City, the NTA estimated that more than 7,000 hectares of the crop was planted this season against 6,900 hectares last year. There are also reports of more farmers directly engaged in planting tobacco this year, according to the NTA that is still unable to give the exact volume of tobacco being traded as farmers continue to bring in their harvests |
