Philippines: Dust to Dust

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 08/27/2012

The Philippine National Tobacco Administration's (NTA) PHP144.76 million tobacco dust agribusiness project is being wound up, according to a story in the Manila Times relayed by the TMA. The project, which was started in 2007 as an alternative use for tobacco, became too expensive to maintain. The project was halted in August 2010, by which time 9,137 bags of tobacco dust had been produced and remained in stock. As of April 2012, 277 bags had been disposed of but the NTA said it had signed on January 10, 2012, a memorandum of agreement with the provincial government of La Union, Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources for the Community Piloting Project for Sustainable Aquaculture for using tobacco dust. The Audit Commission has recommended that the NTA develop plans to dispose of the remaining inventory of tobacco dust in order to prevent spoilage and further losses. Enditem