National Tobacco Administration

READ: Traders commit to buy all Virginia to***co this season

The National To***co Administration (NTA) has assured to***co farmers in the Ilocos Region, including Abra, that all flue-cured Virginia (FCV) to***co leaves produced this season will be purchased by traders following successful negotiations initiated by the agency last week.

NTA Administrator and CEO Belinda S. Sanchez said on Monday that to***co traders have committed to buy all locally produced to***co at reasonable prices based on the approved floor prices.

Sanchez, together with Deputy Administrator for Operations Nestor C. Casela, Deputy Administrator for Support Services Benedicto M. Savellano, and Regulation Department Manager Atty. Rohbert A. Ambros, began meeting with to***co traders and cigarette manufacturers as early as March this year to address concerns over a possible to***co “stop-buying” situation due to oversupply of locally produced to***co leaves.

The projected five-million-kilogram overproduction was attributed to the increasing number of non-contracted to***co farmers cultivating traditional Virginia to***co varieties with strong support from the local government units (LGUs) that encouraged them to expand their area due to strong market demand in the past two trading seasons.

The estimated overproduction represents about 27 percent more than the 18.05-million-kilogram purchase commitment of Virginia to***co leaves by the trading companies and cigarette manufacturers for 2026 trading season.

“The to***co supply was short in the last two years, resulting in strong demand and unexpectedly high prices. However, this trading season, prices declined due to overproduction, consistent with the law of supply and demand,” Casela explained.

During the 2025 trading season, the highest buying price for prime-class FCV to***co leaves reached as much as ₱130 per kilogram. This year, however, the highest buying price for prime-class FCV to***co has so far reached only ₱105 per kilogram. Despite the decline, current buying prices remain higher than the approved floor prices.

For the 2026 trading season, the approved floor prices for FCV to***co range from ₱98 per kilogram for Class AA leaves to ₱62 per kilogram for reject-quality leaves.

Aside from overproduction, Casela noted that poor-quality to***co leaves were also observed this season due to limited irrigation water supply and unfavorable agro-climatic conditions brought about by extreme heat.

To address concerns over oversupply and declining to***co leaves quality, Administrator Sanchez and Deputy Administrator Casela recently met with mayors and municipal agriculturists from Virginia to***co-producing LGUs and urged them to encourage farmers to participate in the To***co Contract Growing System (TCGS).

Under the TCGS, authorized to***co companies commit to purchase the produce of contracted farmers under agreed terms and conditions, providing farmers with assured markets and more stable income. Contract growers are also given access to production inputs, technical assistance, and financial support from to***co companies to help improve both the quality and volume of their harvests.

Currently, only around 10,000 of the country’s 45,000 registered to***co farmers are enrolled in the NTA’s TCGS program. Of the total number of registered to***co farmers, about 25,000 are contracted by private sector companies. (Freddie Lazaro, DA -NTA)






Photo courtesy of NTA - La Union

READ: NTA rolls out RSAS orientation to strengthen to***co industry monitoring

The National To***co Administration (NTA) has started the implementation of the Registration System for Agri-Storage (RSAS) through an initial pilot orientation aimed at strengthening monitoring, transparency, and regulatory compliance in the to***co industry.

The orientation, spearheaded by the NTA Regulation Department, headed by Atty. Rohbert A. Ambros was conducted in line with Republic Act No. 12022, or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, and its implementing guidelines under Department of Agriculture Memorandum Circular No. 03, series of 2026.

The activity guided participants through the step-by-step procedures for registration and system enrollment in the RSAS Digital Platform, including its operational requirements and features. The initiative forms part of the government’s broader digitalization efforts to improve accountability and monitoring mechanisms in the agricultural sector.

Atty. Luke T. Jickain, head of the Legal and Policy Section of the Agricultural and Fisheries Logistics Office (AFLO), discussed the legal framework and policy basis of the RSAS implementation.

Meanwhile, Darlene R. Abainza, project manager of the Department of Agriculture-Information and Communications Technology Service (DA-ICTS), presented an overview of the system, while system developer Jay Von Paul M. Malabanan conducted a live demonstration and walkthrough of the digital platform.

The two-day orientation gathered stakeholders from various sectors of the to***co industry. The first batch, composed of registered importers, exporters, transhippers, and manufacturers, attended the face-to-face session held on May 18 at the NTA Central Office Training Room.

The second batch was conducted virtually on May 19 and was attended by registered wholesale to***co dealers (WTDs), redrying plants (RPs), buying stations (BS), and branch office focal persons.

NTA Administrator and CEO Belinda S. Sanchez reaffirmed the agency’s support for implementing the RSAS as part of ongoing modernization and regulatory reform initiatives in the agricultural sector.

She emphasized the importance of cooperation and compliance among stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the digital platform, which aims to strengthen monitoring systems, promote transparency in transactions, and help curb agricultural economic sabotage.

“I encourage all participants to actively engage in the orientation and maximize the use of the RSAS Digital Platform in support of a more efficient and accountable to***co industry regulatory system,” Sanchez said. (MRP)

LOOK: NTA and COA hold Exit Conference

Administrator and CEO Belinda S. Sanchez, together with Deputy Administrator for Support Services Benedicto M. Savellano, department and branch managers, and concerned staff, attended the blended exit conference between the NTA and the Commission on Audit (COA) on Wednesday, May 13.

The exit conference serves as a venue to discuss audit findings, observations, and recommendations before the audit report is finalized. It aims to promote accuracy, transparency, and fairness by giving management the opportunity to respond to issues raised and agree on corrective actions to further improve financial operations.

The forum also allows auditors and management to validate audit observations and strengthen understanding of COA rules and regulations to ensure full compliance by the agency.

The meeting highlighted the importance of good governance and served as a guide for continuous improvement within the NTA.

READ: NTA tapped as pilot agency for integrated trade facilitation platform

The National To***co Administration (NTA), headed by Administrator Belinda S. Sanchez, has been selected as one of the pilot agencies to be onboarded to the National Single Window–Integrated Trade Facilitation Platform (NSW-ITFP), a major government initiative aimed at streamlining and digitalizing trade-related processes nationwide.

On May 11, Sanchez, together with concerned NTA officials and staff, participated in a preliminary meeting at the agency’s Central Office in Quezon City to discuss the project overview and onboarding activities.

Sanchez said the pilot implementation of the digital platform is expected to improve efficiency and accelerate the issuance and processing of the agency’s regulatory documents.

She also expressed gratitude to the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for selecting the NTA as one of the pilot agencies for the project.

The orientation was led by DOF Assistant Secretary Angelica I. Sarmiento, DICT Director Ferdinand Ramos, and Sherwin Santos, Project Manager from TradeX Network Inc.

The DICT formally commenced the implementation of the NSW-ITFP project pursuant to Executive Order No. 482, series of 2005, which created the National Single Window Task Force to advance trade facilitation in the country. In line with this initiative, the DICT entered into a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with TradeX Network Inc. for the development and implementation of the integrated trade platform.

The NSW-ITFP aims to streamline, harmonize, and automate the processing of trade-related documents among Trade Regulatory Government Agencies. The platform will serve as a single digital entry point for regulatory requirements to promote transparency, reduce red tape, speed up cross-agency transactions, and improve the ease of doing business.

Pilot testing of the platform is scheduled in June, marking a significant step toward the operationalization of the integrated trade facilitation system.

The inclusion of the NTA in the initial phase of the project underscores the agency’s role in the Philippine trade system, particularly in the regulation of to***co products. The onboarding is expected to improve operational efficiency, strengthen regulatory compliance, and support the government’s broader digitalization and trade facilitation efforts.

Sanchez said the NTA’s participation in the project is also aligned with Republic Act No. 12022, or the “Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act,” which mandates the establishment of a National Single Window for the trade of agricultural and fishery products to streamline processes and prevent agricultural sabotage, including the trade of to***co products.

During the orientation, officials also discussed the legal frameworks supporting the initiative, including Republic Act No. 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, Republic Act No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act, and other related trade facilitation measures.

To support the implementation of the project, the NTA formally constituted its Agency Counterpart Team (ACT), which will serve as the primary coordinating body and focal point for all NSW-ITFP onboarding activities.

The ACT will coordinate with the NSW-ITFP Secretariat under the DOF and the DICT Project Management Team on data provision, process review, implementation activities, and capacity-building initiatives.

Members of the NTA Agency Counterpart Team are:

• Team leader – Atty. Rohbert A. Ambros, Department Manager III, Regulation Department
• Trade Facilitation Officers – Primitivo M. Abalos Jr., Supervising TPRO, TLRD, and Jerymy Ann Emano-Feria, Senior TPRO, TPRD
• Policy Expert – Fortuna C. Benosa, Department Manager III, Corporate Planning Department
• Technical Personnel – Jay C. Darlucio, Information Technology Officer II

Through its participation in the NSW-ITFP, the NTA reaffirmed its commitment to regulatory modernization, efficient public service, and the development of a more integrated and digitally enabled trade environment in the Philippines. (MRP)