Dar revealed his plan during his visit to Tagudin town on Friday to grace the awarding ceremony for the winners of the 2019 National Tobacco Administration’s Tobacco Growers of the Year Awards at the newly-opened Tobacco Farmers’ Training Building.
“The Board and Management of the NTA are working together to formulate the Tobacco Industry Enhancement Program as we are looking at the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund as a model. With this, we can help our tobacco farmers increase their income through mechanization program, farmer to market road, value-adding and market scheme, training infrastructures, and credit facilities that offer a 2 percent interest rate,” Dar said.
Through this initiative, Dar is very optimistic that this will enhance the tobacco industry and achieve one of the agriculture department’s goals: “Masaganang Ani at Malaking Kita” . Before he handed out the awards to the national winners of the TGY contest, Dar joined Tagudin town Mayor Roque Verzosa for the ceremonial distribution of cultivators to the tobacco growers and the inauguration of the newly-constructed Tobacco Farmers’ Training Building.