LAOAG CITY – Registered farmers’ associations in Bacarra town, Ilocos Norte province on Tuesday received PHP33.7 million worth of farm machinery and equipment purchased through the municipality's share from tobacco excise tax.
The beneficiaries received combine harvesters, hand tractors with trailers, cultivators, water pumps, mist blowers, brush cutters, transplanters, and irrigation hoses, among others.
"The municipal government of Bacarra remains committed to the fair, transparent, and equitable allocation of the tobacco excise tax under Republic Act 7171 and Republic Act 8240, amounting to PHP33,741,478, for the benefit of our hardworking farmers," Bacarra town mayor Nicomedes dela Cruz said in an interview.
Dela Cruz, who led the distribution in Barangay 18 Sto. Cristo along with other municipal officials, said the purchase of farm machinery and equipment was based on requests of farmers during the consultation meetings.
"These are meant to empower our farmers and ensure that their needs are met to improve our agriculture sector," he said.
For a tobacco farmer like Andres Acosta, growing tobacco entails a lot of hard work and perseverance. But with the provision of various agricultural support like water pumps and machineries from the government, farming is more bearable now.
"Tobacco farming is laborious but we are happy the local government helps us from seedling production to selling our products," Acosta said in Ilokano.
With the upcoming dry season, tobacco farmers said the distribution of water pumps will be a big help to them.
Under Republic Acts 7171 and 8240, tobacco-growing municipalities get a share of tobacco excise tax collections based on the volume of leaves produced by their tobacco growers.
Ilocos Norte continues to expand its tobacco plantations to have more share in the tobacco excise tax.
The tobacco contract growing system is being piloted in the province to encourage more farmers to plant tobacco by providing them at least 20 percent subsidy in farm inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides.
