Filipino owned cigarette maker, Mighty Corporation pledged on buying more tobacco leaves and helping three million tobacco farmers and their dependents increase their yield in the Ilocos Region and Cagayan Valley.
According to Mighty Corp. Executive Vice President Oscar P. Barrientos said that the company’s share of the domestic market dramatically increases from a minimal five percent in 2012 to 20 percent of the local market for cigarettes in 2013. The company aims to help a lot of farmers whose lives are dependent on the tobacco industry.
“We have earned our fair share of the market by making affordable cigarettes sold to the mass market. We’re proud of our modest success coming from a home-grown and Filipino-owned cigarette company,” said Barrientos.
“With a bigger share of Mighty Corp. in the market today, we are giving the tobacco farmers a fair share of our success by offering competitive prices to their crops.”, he added.
“Last year, we have bought even the low-priced tobacco leaves. Had Mighty Corp. not done that, it would have created a problem for tobacco farmers,” he claimed.
“We are happy to offer better prices to tobacco farmers and are willing to tie-up with the Department of Agriculture and the National Tobacco Administration to cement our partnership with the farmers.”
Aside from the fact that tobacco farmers who benefited from Mighty’s growth, but also the whole country as the company paid taxes from the sale of cigarettes.
“Our contribution is in the form of taxes, which helps in the development of the country. We also employed more factory workers. Now, we have more than 2,000,” he said.
Mighty Corp is expending their charitable deeds via Wong Chu King Foundation.They are helping tobacco cooperatives increase their production.
“As far as CSR is concerned, we will have irrigation pumps in their area and provide mini tractors. This will come in the form of grant. We will have scholarship grants,” he said.
