For over 25 years, tobacco production has become one of the major sources of income for farmer Leo Bermudez, 59, and his wife Mary Ann, 49, of Barangay Macarcarmay in Bangued, Abra. Two of their children are college graduates, while the youngest is currently enrolled in BS Criminology at the Abra Valley Colleges. To earn bigger income for the family after rice farming during the wet season, Leo decided to plant tobacco as cooperator of the Tobacco Contract Growing System (TCGS) under the NTA Integrated Farming and Other Income Generating Activities Program. For good performance for the past cropping seasons, Leo has been qualified for production assistance in three major projects of the agency: the Tobacco Contract Growing System, Curing Barn Assistance Project, and the Rice Production Wet Season.
“Dakkel ti maitultulong ti panagmula iti tabako kadakami ta ísu ti maysa a pangal-alaanmi iti pagbibiagmi, ken nakatulong iti panagbasa dagiti annakmi. Nasayaat ta adda latta dagiti production assistance nangruna iti subsidy nga ipapaay ti NTA kadagiti proyekto para iti pagimbagan dagiti mannalon.” – Leo Bermudez, Tobacco Contract Grower (TCGS, CBAP & Rice Wet Season cooperator)
[Photo credit: Marife P. Peralta]