The Solidarity of Peasants Against Exploitation (STOP Exploitation) and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) held a picket protest on October 7, 2025 in front of the Great Eastern Hotel, Quezon Avenue, where the National Tobacco Tripartite Consultative Conference (NTTCC) of the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) is taking place.
Farmers demand a P128 per kilo floor price without classification, as the current P97 per kilo rate for Virginia tobacco remains unjust amid rising production costs. Tobacco farmers from Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, and La Union decry the exploitative grading system used by cigarette companies to cheat and underprice their harvests. They assert that firms can afford to pay P100–P150 per kilo, but deliberately keep prices low through deceptive classification.
STOP Exploitation also condemns contract-growing schemes that favor corporations, silencing farmers and imposing unfair restrictions, fees, and taxes. Meanwhile, the Tobacco Excise Tax, earned from farmers’ sweat and labor, continues to be misused by politicians instead of supporting production, livelihood, and social services.
As the tripartite conference unfolds, farmers vow to make their demands heard:
P128/kilo floor price without classification, fair contracts, and people-oriented use of tobacco taxes!
