Tobacco manufacturer, Mighty Corp has been instrumental over the liveligood project that they gave out to the farmers in Pangasinan and the Ilocos provinces. They have expressed relief that their tobacco leaves will have a sure market this year.
According to Mario Cabasal, president of the National Federation of Tobacco Growers and Cooperatives said upon learning Mighty’s plan to commit to buy at least 10 million kilograms of tobacco leaves at an average price of P70 per kilo and buy all the excess tobacco leaves that farmers could not sell to other buyers.
“We limited to minimum areas fields planted to tobacco last year in anticipation of depressed demand due to the scheduled implementation of the sin tax,” Cabasal said. “good thing, some farmers were able to sell part of their low-grade harvests to Mighty Corporation in 2013,” he added.
“Now that we are assured of an alternative market, besides other tobacco companies, our members will again be inspired to devote larger areas to the cultivation of Ilocandia’s most important cash crop,” he said.
Most of the farmers in the Ilocos Region shifted to planting yellow corn. Yellow corn thrives in dry land where rainfall is scarce during the summer months. Planting of the golden leaf started last month and selling the dry leaf often peaks just before the Holy Week.
“With Mighty’s assurance that the company will buy all the unsold tobacco harvested by farmers, we can also be sure that unlike in the past, prices will stay high even after the holiday season. Price cut downs on harvests after the Holy Week was an old practice of middlemen from Ilocos Norte to Pangasinan.
According to Mario Cabasal, president of the National Federation of Tobacco Growers and Cooperatives said upon learning Mighty’s plan to commit to buy at least 10 million kilograms of tobacco leaves at an average price of P70 per kilo and buy all the excess tobacco leaves that farmers could not sell to other buyers.
“We limited to minimum areas fields planted to tobacco last year in anticipation of depressed demand due to the scheduled implementation of the sin tax,” Cabasal said. “good thing, some farmers were able to sell part of their low-grade harvests to Mighty Corporation in 2013,” he added.
“Now that we are assured of an alternative market, besides other tobacco companies, our members will again be inspired to devote larger areas to the cultivation of Ilocandia’s most important cash crop,” he said.
Most of the farmers in the Ilocos Region shifted to planting yellow corn. Yellow corn thrives in dry land where rainfall is scarce during the summer months. Planting of the golden leaf started last month and selling the dry leaf often peaks just before the Holy Week.
“With Mighty’s assurance that the company will buy all the unsold tobacco harvested by farmers, we can also be sure that unlike in the past, prices will stay high even after the holiday season. Price cut downs on harvests after the Holy Week was an old practice of middlemen from Ilocos Norte to Pangasinan.