The National Tobacco Administration (NTA) expects delivery of cured tobacco to buying stations after February 15, the schedule of the official opening of tobacco trading season in the Ilocos Region.
NTA Administrator Robert Victor G. Seares Jr. has already written official communications to the governors of tobacco-growing provinces in the region, requesting free passage for tobacco growers to deliver their produce to the traders passing through or within their respective areas.
“We are aware that these provinces have established strict border checkpoints and health protocols in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, so we have to write our local leaders to give our farmers assistance during trading,” said Administrator Seares.
NTA also sent similar requests at the onset of the pandemic last year for the unhampered delivery of tobacco and movement of NTA staff and trading personnel in their respective areas, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture through the food lane conduct pass.
“Through proper coordination with our partners from the LGUs and the private sector, our contract growers were able to sell all their produce to their contracted leaf buyers last trading season despite the lockdown,” added Administrator Seares.
Agency data shows that the volume of tobacco acceptances in buying stations for all tobacco types (Virginia, Burley and Native) reached 49.2 M kilos, a 5.58% increase from the 46.6 million kilos in the preceding trading year.
The Ilocos Region, the top tobacco-producing region in the country, accounts about 62% of the total acceptances from all buying stations in trading year 2020.To strengthen enforcement and close monitoring of trading operations, the NTA Regulation Department has scheduled next week the virtual orientation-seminar on the Revised Trading Rules and Regulations governing the trading of locally grown tobacco to NTA staff in charge of the trading, local leaf buyers, and buying station operators.
NTA Branch Offices in Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, La Union and Pangasinan, where the buying stations are located, have yet to receive requests for the official opening from registered/licensed buying stations. Trading operations in Region 2 are expected to start in the first week of April.
Calibration of weighing and measuring instruments to check on the accuracy will also be conducted to prepare for the tobacco trading season in the provinces.
The agency has already set February 28 as the deadline for the filing of applications for license and authority to buy or permit and authority to purchase, among other requirements to buy tobacco leaf for trading year 2021.