NTA Releases P2M for Abra Tobacco Farmers; P1.9M to Follow

Source from:  by Maritess Beñas BANGUED, Abra (25 January) 01/29/2008

The National Tobacco Administration has released P2 million as production assistance to the tobacco farmers in the province. This was learned from Ms. Esmeralda G. Valera, NTA-Abra Manager. She informed that the P2M was given to 155 farmers cultivating a total of 104 hectares of tobacco farmlands located in 10 municipalities in the province namely Bangued, Pidigan, San Quintin, San Isidro, Villaviciosa, Pilar, Luba, Peñarrubia, Tayum, and Dolores. The production assistance to the tobacco farmers come in the form of a soft loan bearing an interest rate of 12% per annum and payable on installment basis only after the harvest season. An addition 2% is charged as service fee. Meanwhile, a total P1.9M is still to be released by NTA-Abra for at least 202 farmers more who are cultivating 168.5 hectares of tobacco farmlands. To ensure proper documentation of the total volume of tobacco production in the province, Valera said they will be conducting a special meeting with the cowboys, the Philippine National Police and local government officials in the 10 tobacco-producing municipalities before the start of marketing of tobacco in February. It had been observed in the past years that tobacco produce in Abra are smuggled out of the province by the unregistered tobacco traders locally called "cowboys" hence the importance of meeting with all the concerned agencies to help monitor the outflow of tobacco products from the province for proper documentation. The documentation of the total volume of tobacco production in the province is very vital in the determination of the right amount of the budgetary allocation of the province in its share from the proceeds of the excise tax as provided for in Republic Act No. 2121. The PNP play a very important role here as they are the mainstay in the chokepoints. The support of the LGU officials is likewise imperative because they have a stake to protect as they are the stewards of the government's share in the excise taxes. The cowboys in Abra are urged to cooperate in this endeavor in order to protect the interest of the province as a whole. Enditem