Online buying of tobacco leaves in Ilocos launched amid pandemic

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, an innovation in the selling of flue-cured tobacco leaves was conceptualized to ensure the safety of the farmers.

From the usual face-to-face, an online buying strategy was  launched by the trading centers in the Ilocos region.

The online tobacco buying strategy is an added measure to the minimum public health standards against COVID – 19 to ensure the safety of those involved in the trading operations especially the farmers and the tobacco technicians.

This online buying scheme will help the farmers on selling their locally produced flue-cured Virginia tobacco with more chances of buyers in the light of the pandemic.

The process will include the following steps: the flue-cured tobacco leaves are delivered to the buying station. The farmer or his representative with assigned NTA technicians will witness the loading and grading of the leaves at the designated viewing area.

The farmer or his representative will discuss with the trading personnel the processing of necessary documents and payment. The farmers with bank accounts will receive the payment through bank deposits. After the transaction, the viewing area is automatically disinfected for the next farmer.

The online tobacco buying process is expected to be replicated in other trading centers in Region 2 and other tobacco-producing regions in the country.