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Tag: STEP

  • Mindanao Tobacco Production Nearly Doubles

    Mindanao Tobacco Production Nearly Doubles

    Tobacco production in Mindanao surged 44% in 2024 as more farmers in the southern Philippines turned to the crop for its growing profitability, according to data from the National Tobacco Administration (NTA). Ma. Mercedes Ayco of NTA Mindanao said farmers are drawn to native “batek” tobacco for its fast growth and strong domestic demand. To support the industry, the NTA launched the five-year Sustainable Tobacco Enhancement Program (STEP) last year. The program offers irrigation, equipment, training, and marketing support to strengthen the tobacco sector across the island.

    Production rose from 5.4 million kilograms in 2023 to 9.7 million kg in 2024. Misamis Oriental led the pack, contributing 7.7 million kg—nearly 80% of the region’s total. Maguindanao del Sur posted a 62% increase in output. The number of tobacco farmers in Mindanao jumped from 4,630 in 2023 to over 8,100 in 2024, with cultivation areas expanding from nearly 3,000 to over 4,400 hectares. Top-quality leaves fetched up to P700 ($12.60) per kilo in Misamis Oriental.

    Tobacco remains the only crop in the Philippines with guaranteed floor prices, supporting livelihoods for over 2 million Filipinos, including 430,000 farmers and workers, the NTA said.

  • Wild Brands Launches STEP Cigs

    Wild Brands Launches STEP Cigs

    Image: Global Tobacco

    Wild Brands has launched STEP cigarettes, a novel nontobacco cigarette incorporating a layered tobacco-style flavor system, according to a company press release.

    STEP products will be available in full flavor and green (menthol) variants with the goal to replace unaffordable traditional cigarettes in the U.S. market.

    STEP stands for Satisfaction Taste Experience and Price.

    “Based on a proprietary formulation of active herbals and botanicals, STEP cigarettes [are] the first perfectly blended cigarette substitute to come to market that truly feels and tastes like a traditional full flavor or menthol product,” said Zain Meghani, president of Wild Brands. “We believe STEP will have enormous appeal with wholesalers, retailers and, more importantly, with adult price-conscious consumers.”

    Meghani adds, “STEP was created to be a Satisfying Tasteful Experience at a fair Price and is aimed at adult consumers seeking a substitute to overpriced regular cigarettes. Despite having no tobacco, nicotine or hemp in the blend, our early consumer feedback with the STEP full flavor and green (menthol) packs indicates we have found the right feel, taste and satisfaction that adult smokers would expect from a traditional cigarette.”

    Mike Walters, vice president of sales at Global Tobacco, the exclusive distributor of STEP, said, “This is an exciting new product for the market as it is free of all federal cigarette excise taxes, many state cigarette excise taxes as well as the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement payments and [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] tobacco user fee payments.”