Tobacco trading still in full swing despite rainy season – NTA
File photo of a tobacco farm in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan. Photo by Willie Lomibao.
MANILA, Philippines — The tobacco trading remains in full operation across the country despite the start of the rainy season in June, according to the National Tobacco Administration (NTA).
In a statement on Saturday, NTA–La Union manager Dr. Giovanni Palabay said that the trading centers for flue-cured Virginia tobacco in Ilocos will remain open until June 30, 2025.
The tobacco trading centers that are open in the Ilocos provinces are Universal Leaf Philippines, Inc. (ULPI), Trans Manila, Inc., and Continental Leaf Tobacco Philippines, Inc.
Meanwhile, Palabay said that should there still be available Virginia tobacco produced by the farmers beyond June 30, “the NTA can make a request for accommodation by the trading centers.”
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“The highest buying price offered by the trading centers to the farmers could reach P130.00 per kilo, depending on the quality of the flue-cured Virginia tobacco leaves,” Palabay said.
Trading ops for burley and native tobacco
The NTA said that the trading operations for burley and native tobacco in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Cordillera Administrative Region will end on August 31, 2025.
“The reported highest buying price for Burley tobacco per kilo is P118.00, while the native Batek tobacco is P175. 00 per kilo,” the tobacco administration said.
The NTA also mentioned that as of June 4, 2025, there are 59,242 registered farmers in the country who are planting 32,503 hectares of tobacco.
Aside from ULPI, the other buying companies of Burley and native tobacco include Pentaleaf in the Cagayan Valley, Antonio and Josefina Trading Center, and John Medriano Trading Center in La Union.
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The farmers in Mindanao, meanwhile, sell their native Batek tobacco products at the local “Tabo Market.”
NTA Administrator and CEO Belinda Sanchez said that the farmers are expected to earn more income from this cropping season due to the high buying prices of tobacco, citing that “the reported buying prices of tobacco at the trading centers are higher than the tobacco floor prices.”
The following are the latest approved tobacco floor prices of classes of all tobacco types for this season, according to the NTA:
- 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 taken up every two years through a tripartite forum between and among the farmers, traders, and tobacco manufacturers to ensure the stable price of the crop,” said the NTA.
The NTA is authorized to set or fix tobacco floor prices by adopting a tripartite consultative conference through its Regulation Department as the lead department, 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).
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, the NTA said.
Currently, an estimated 2.2 million Filipinos are financially dependent on tobacco, including more than 430,000 farmers, farmworkers, and their family members, it added.
