As the tobacco cropping season in El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental begins, the City Agriculture Office has started conducting field survey using new technology that allows real-time monitoring of tobacco farmers and their plantations.

Farmers have already started sowing tobacco. Among them is Fedelina Daug, who has been planting tobacco for almost 40 years.

She said she always ensure that her tobacco plants are in good condition, which are scheduled for harvest in August.

“Ang tobacco labaw pa sa bata atimanon, tinuod man gyud kay ug ma biyaan nimo na sila ug pila ka adlaw madaot,” Daug said.

Personnel of the City Agriculture Office also conducted survey and validation to ensure that the data submitted to the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) for the computation of excise tax is accurate.

Compared to the manual counting of tobacco plants at each plantation before, crop validators are now using cellphones and geo-tagging app through GPS.

Through this technology, farmers simply walk around their plantation with a cellphone and within a few minutes, the system generates the necessary data.

“Para ma-document ang farmer nga tinuod ba gyud sila nga nagtanom ug tabako ug masukod ang area kung pilay masulod sa area,” City Agriculture Office Crop Validator, Ricson Jay Palasan, said.

The 2.7-hectare farm of Lenore Macahilos was surveyed and geo-tagged in just a few minutes. She said the system will be a huge help in providing reliable basis for the distribution of assistance by the local government.

“Ang mga support nga ilang gihatag sa farmers amo gyud gaka avail example matagaan mi depende sa imong tanom mahatagan mi ug pila ka bags sa abuno, naay mga sen. Tanan programa sa farmers among gaka avail,” Macahilos said.