MANILA, Philippines - Buoyed by its successful marketing and distributing systems, local cigarette manufacturer Mighty Corp. has assured farmers in the Ilocos region and Cagayan Valley that it will buy more tobacco leaves in 2014.
The assurance was made by Mighty Corp. executive vice president Oscar P. Barrientos on the heels of media reports that its share of the domestic market has dramatically risen from a minimal five percent last year to 20 percent of the local market for cigarettes this year.
“We have earned our fair share of the market by making quality but affordable cigarettes that were smartly packaged, creatively and ingenuously sold to the mass market. That is the secret of our success in breaking the cigarette monopoly in this country and we’re mighty proud of our modest success coming from a home-grown and Filipino-owned cigarette company,†said Barrientos, a retired judge.
“With a bigger share of Mighty Corp. in the market today, we are giving the tobacco farmers a fair shake of our success by offering competitive prices to their crops,†he pointed out.
He stressed that over the years, Mighty Corp. has consistently championed the cause of the Filipino tobacco farmers by buying a larger share of the low-grade tobacco leaves at a good prices.
“This year alone, we have bought even the low-priced tobacco leaves. Had Mighty Corp. not done that, it would have created a great economic dislocation for tobacco farmers,†stressed Barrientos.
“We will be happy to offer better prices to tobacco farmers and are willing to tie-up with the Department of Agriculture and the National Tobacco Administration to cement our partnership with the farmers, the company spokesman concluded,†he added.