“Prices of locally grown yellow corn have plunged, and we have no recourse but to plant again tobacco which prices are More stable,” said Victor Vallevor of Barangay Laping, San Juan, Ilocos Sur. “If prices of maize continue to go down, our families will starve.”The price of corn quadrupled since 2000 when ethanol became a source of biofuel. Because of this, several tobacco farmers switched to corn farming hoping to cash in on the crop. But a bumper harvest in the United States coupled with the softening prices of crude oil in the world market are pushing its prices down. In fact, a price watch by the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics showed that farm gate prices of corn are only averaging P11.28 per kilo. On the other hand, average prices of tobacco have remained above P40 a kilo despite the economic crunch. “Ang laki ng diperensiya sa presyo pag tabako ang tinanim namin (There’s a big difference in prices when we plant tobacco),” said Anastacio Sioquin of Barangay Lablig also in San Juan, Ilocos Sur. San Juan Mayor Benjamin Sarmiento said the local government is now assisting farmers who were affected by the slide in the prices of corn. “We have set aside some funds for farmers who want to plant tobacco,” he said, adding that a team of agronomists is now in the field showing farmers how to produce quality crops. Farmers are beginning to restore their curing barns in time for the tobacco harvest next season. Rows of tobacco seedbeds can also be seen dotting the landscape in the Ilocos region. Meanwhile, leaf suppliers as well as the National Tobacco Administration are also fielding their technicians to see to it that the crops meet the standards requiRed by cigarette manufacturers. Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing Inc. (PMPMI) managing director Chris Nelson said the farmers’ decision to return to tobacco growing reinforces confidence that the future of the tobacco industry in the country is bright. Nelson noted, however, that much work remains to be done, such as the continuous training of farmers on good agriculture practices to produce quality tobacco leaf. Nelson said PMPMI plans to help in the expansion of tobacco farm lands to help tobacco farmers meet the demands of local tobacco by PMPMI and other cigarette manufacturers. Nelson said expanding the current tobacco areas will give the farmers More opportunities to increase their livelihood while at the same time, benefiting PMPMI which has to import tobacco to meet its requirements for production. Farmers said they would no longer revert to corn farming because its prices remain unstable in the world market. “Besides, tobacco has been part of our lives,” said Sioquin “My grandfather has been planting this crop, and I believe that future generations would also do the same.” “Tobacco is not a crop,” Vallevor said. “It’s a tradition.”