NTA welcomes Mighty program for local farmers

Mighty Corporation or Mighty Corp, the only wholly Filipino-owned cigarette manufacturer in the country was commended by the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) for the assistance it provides to local farmers.

NTA Chief Edgardo Zaragoza pointed out, “We welcome the assistance provided Mighty Corp. The more players dealing directly with the farmers, the better and merrier. This is a big boost to the tobacco industry.”

He added that the company’s social outreach programs would increase the assistance provided to farmers and their families and hope that this would encourage other cigarette industry players to do the same.

It was reported that Mighty Corp, the Bulacan-based tobacco company owned by the Wongchuking family, has donated 90 diesel-fed water pumps and 16 power tillers to farmers in the provinces of Abra, Ilocs Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Isabela and Cagyan, the country’s top producers of yellow leaf, the variety used for cigarettes. 

Aside from this, Mighty Corp has earlier announced it would buy 10 million kilograms of tobacco leaves, one fifth of the industry’s total production. It has also provided 100 scholarships to high school graduates who are children of local tobacco farmers. 

Zaragoza mentioned that the NTA is working on the implementing rules for the excise taxes on cigarettes to ensure that the taxes will directly benefit tobacco farmers. He added that in 2003, excise tax collection from tobacco increased by almost P35 billion. From P32 billion in 2012, it became P67 billion in 2013.