The Philippine Tobacco Growers Association (PTGA) urged its government to step up enforcement against illegal cigarette trade, warning that smuggling is siphoning income from farmers and threatening one of the country’s key agricultural sectors. PTGA President Saturnino Distor said each illegal product sold in the market represents lost revenue for hardworking Filipino tobacco farmers, totaling P1 billion ($17 million)—or P17,000 ($289) for each of the organization’s 59,000 members.
Industry data indicates illegal cigarettes sell for as low as P2 ($0.03) per stick, compared to P7 ($0.12) for legal products, fueling black-market growth and increasing accessibility to minors. This year, around 11.8 billion sticks of illegal cigarettes are expected to be sold in the Philippines, representing roughly 9.4 million kilos of tobacco that could have been sourced from local farms. At an average farmgate price of P104.09 ($1.77) per kilo, farmers have already lost P978.4 million ($16.6 million) in income.
Distor also highlighted the broader impact on the industry, affecting transport workers, factory employees, and small retailers, while the government loses an estimated P40 billion ($680 million) in excise tax revenue annually. Despite the 2024 Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Law, enforcement remains weak. “Farmers are not asking for special treatment,” Distor said. “We are asking for protection, for fairness, and for a chance to keep farming and feeding our families.”