THE National Tobacco Administration (NTA) said tobacco trading is still in full operation across the country despite the state weather bureau PAGASA’s declaration of the start of the rainy season last week.
Trading centers for flue-cured Virginia tobacco in Ilocos are open until June 30, according to NTA.
However, if there are still available Virginia tobacco produced by the farmers beyond June 30, the NTA can make a request for accommodation by the trading centers.
The highest buying price offered by the trading centers to the farmers could still reach up to P130 per kilo, depending on the quality of the flue-cured Virginia tobacco leaves.
The tobacco trading centers that are open in the Ilocos provinces are Universal Leaf Philippines Inc. (ULPI), Trans Manila Inc. (TMI), and Continental Leaf Tobacco Philippines Inc. (Conleaf), NTA said.
Meanwhile, trading operations for burley and native tobacco in Regions 1, 1,2, 3, and Cordillera Administrative Region will end on August 31, 2025.
The reported highest buying price for burley tobacco per kilo is P118, while the native Batek tobacco is P175 per kilo, the agency said.
Aside from ULPI, the other buying companies of burley and native tobacco are Pentaleaf in the Cagayan Valley region, Antonio and Josefina Trading Center (A&J TC), and John Medriano Trading Center (JMTC) in La Union, NTA said.
The agency said farmers in Mindanao sell their native Batek tobacco products at the local “Tabo Market.”
As of June 4, 2025, the total number of registered tobacco farmers in the country is 59,242 planting 32,503 hectares of tobacco, according to NTA.
NTA Administrator and CEO Belinda Sanchez said that the farmers would earn more income this cropping season because of the high buying prices of tobacco.
The reported buying prices of tobacco at the trading centers are higher than the tobacco floor prices, according to Sanchez.
The latest approved tobacco floor prices of classes of all types of tobacco for this season are as follows:
* For flue-cured Virginia tobacco: Class AA – P97; A – P96; B – P95; C – P93; D – P85; E – P84; F1 – P75; F2 – 72 and R – P61
* For Burley tobacco: Class A – P81; B – P78; C – P69; D – P58; E – P57; F – P49; and R – P39
* For Native tobacco: High Grade – P81; Medium 1 – P70; Medium2 – P60; Low 1 –P50; and Low 2 – P38
The tobacco floor prices are adjusted every two years through a tripartite forum between and among the farmers, traders, and tobacco manufacturers to ensure the stable price of the crop.
The NTA facilitated the biennial tripartite conference.
As mandated by Presidential Decree (PD) No. 627 s. 1974, PD No. 1481 s. 1974 (for Virginia), and PD No. 1143 s. 1977 as amended (for Burley), NTA is authorized to set/fix tobacco floor prices by adopting a tripartite consultative conference, through its Regulation Department as the lead department.
Tobacco is the only cash crop in the country that has approved floor prices and remains a steady source of income for thousands of Filipino families, providing livelihood opportunities and supporting rural economies, according to NTA.
Currently, about 2.2 million Filipinos are financially dependent on tobacco, including more than 430,000 farmers, farmworkers, and their family members, it said. (GMA Integrated News)
