Tobacco firm sets aid program for Ilocos, C. Valley farmers

MANILA, Philippines - Cigarette manufacturer Mighty Corp. will embark this year on a three-pronged assistance program to benefit 65,000 tobacco farmers in Cagayan Valley and the Ilocos region.

Mighty Corp. executive vice president Oscar Barrientos said the company has allocated P10 million for the distribution of 35 irrigations pumps to 35 farmers’ associations, 10 mini-tractors for tobacco-growing provinces, as well as tools and farm implements.

Barrientos said the agricultural assistance would serve as common-service production equipment to groups of organized tobacco farmers whose farms have no access to irrigation facilities and small tractors.

The company will also provide some 20,000 long-sleeved farm shirts to the tobacco farmers.

The company will also launch a scholarship program in tandem with the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) for the children of tobacco farmers in the two regions.

At present, the NTA has existing grants to 400 scholars who are provided with P5,800 in financial assistance each.

“Mighty Corp. will initially support NTA’s scholarship grants with 200 new college scholars this coming school year,” Barrientos said.

The third component of the firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program is its institutional support for the annual search for outstanding tobacco farmers.

The search, being done by the NTA, covers three categories: one for Virginia tobacco growers, another for burley tobacco farmers, and the third for native tobacco producers.

“Through this program, we want to help farmers reach the global productivity level on tobacco growing while increasing their levels of income,” Barrientos said.

“All of these will be extended as grants, not loans,” Barrientos said. “We want to partner with the NTA and the farmers themselves to make sure the grants will reach the right people.”

Mighty Corp. is seeking the help of NTA chief Edgardo Zaragosa to set into motion its expanded CSR program to benefit tobacco farmers.