LOCAL tobacco farmers stand to lose almost P980 million in income this year owing to smuggled cigarettes flooding the market, the Philippine Tobacco Growers Association (PTGA) said.
PTGA President Saturnino Distor noted that for 2025, around 11.8 billion sticks of illegal cigarettes would be sold in the Philippines. This volume translates to some 9.4 million kilos of tobacco that could have come from local farms, he said.
At an average farmgate price of P104.09 per kilo, Distor said the Philippine tobacco farmers would likely lose P978.44 million in income this year alone.
‘This is not just about breaking the law. This is about breaking the hearts of hardworking farmers,’ he said in a statement.
Distor noted that the government also loses around P40 billion annually because of illegal cigarette sales.
Citing industry data, he said illegal cigarettes are sold for as low as P2 per stick while legal ones are sold at PP7 per stick. Smuggling, he said, makes cigarettes cheaper and easily accessible, particularly to minors.
‘Every illegal product sold in the market is a peso taken away from hardworking Filipino farmers. These illegal products enter our markets unchecked, undermining the value of our harvest and the integrity of our work,’ Distor said.
He noted that the country’s tobacco industry supports around 2.2 million Filipinos, including farmers and workers in factories, transport, trading, and small stores.
‘When smuggled cigarettes take over the market, everyone in this chain suffers,’ Distor said.
Distor said the problem brought by smuggled tobacco also extends to the danger it poses to public health, since these could contain synthetic drugs that cause seizures.
Illegal cigarettes have been found with lead, insect parts, rat droppings, and even human waste, he added.
‘In some places, these illegal cigarettes are easier to find than clean water. They are sold cheaply, without any safety checks. They are not just illegal-they are deadly,’ Distor said.
He also lamented that no tobacco smuggler has been arrested under Republic Act 12022 or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Law, which passed into law last year.
‘The PTGA is asking the government to act now. Farmers are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for protection, for fairness, and for a chance to keep farming and feeding our families,’ Distor said.