THE NTA Regulation Department has found the buying stations of the Pentaleaf Tobacco Corp. in Cauayan City and Universal Leaf Philippines, Inc. (ULPI) in Reina Mercedes, both in Isabela province, compliant with the trading rules and regulations for locally grown tobacco leaves.
Following an onsite visit conducted from May 30 to June 1, Primitivo Abalos Jr., Supervising Tobacco Production and Regulation Officer and head of the monitoring team, said that the buying stations have sufficiently adopted the provisions of the NTA Harmonized Grading System for Burley and Native tobacco types, as per Memorandum Circular No. 001, series of 2018.
Abalos said the buying stations use the calibrated digital weighing scale and give prompt issuance of Purchase Invoice Vouchers and payments to farmer-sellers. He also cited the ongoing collaboration with the NTA to monitor and ensure the consistent application of proper grading and classification practices.
After the visits, the monitoring team met with the Isabela branch personnel to discuss their observations and findings as well as the current trading needs and concerns faced by leaf buyers. Tobacco acceptances for all buying stations in Regions 1 and 2 for all tobacco types have reached about 49% or 24 million kilograms of the estimated volume of production of the current trading season as of May 31.
Other members of the monitoring team were Franklin Ross Mendoza, Senior TPRO, and Dianne Joyce O. Trinidad, TPRO I, of the Regulation Department.