• Tobacco production for April to June 2018 decreased from 35.89 thousand metric tons to 34.91 thousand metric tons or by 2.7 percent.  The decline in production resulted from the decrease in area planted due to shifting to yellow corn and lower prices in Ilocos Region.

 

• Area planted to tobacco during the first semester of 2018 went down to 26.65 thousand hectares from 28.16 thousand hectares in 2017 or a decrease of 5.4 percent.  This can be due to some provinces which shifted to other crops like yellow corn and rubber.  Moreover, there was no planting in Mindoro Occidental due to the closure of Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC).

 

• Ilocos Region produced the bulk of the national tobacco production for the quarter with contribution of 66.5 percent, followed by Cagayan Valley at 29.7 percent.

 

• Virginia was the most produced variety at 45.6 percent of the total tobacco production, followed by Other variety (Burley) at 38.3 percent and Native variety at 16.1 percent.