NTA drones improve tobacco plantation mapping, monitoring 

MANILA, Philippines — The National Tobacco Administration (NTA) deployed drones to map and oversee tobacco plantations nationwide.

The Philippine News Agency says it boosts efficiency and ensures accurate production volume assessments.

On Friday, NTA Administrator Belinda Sanchez highlighted the significance of embracing technology in validating tobacco-growing areas:

“With the high-resolution aerial imaging and geospatial analysis captured by drones…”

“…the area of the tobacco plantations will accurately measure and become the basis for the computation of the volume of production.”

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The NTA has equipped its eight regional offices with DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise Drones. It also provided one for its Farm Technology and Services Department (FTSD).

Sanchez said drones are part of the agency’s ongoing digitalization program, and its use marks a significant milestone in enhancing regulatory programs.

According to Sanchez, the NTA had specialized training in drone operations, safety, maintenance, and data processing to handle the equipment properly.

For the cropping year 2023-2024, the NTA used this technology to validate tobacco areas in Luzon. 

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These locations covered 22,073.09 hectares where 36,102 farmers planted three tobacco types: Burley, Native, and Virginia.

The NTA is likewise starting to use drones in Mindanao tobacco plantations. 

National Federation of Tobacco Farmers Association and Cooperatives (NAFTAC) president Bernard Vicente commended the NTA’s drone tech.

He said it provides a faster and more accurate validation of tobacco plantations.

Nowadays, drones are becoming more prevalent outside farming fields. For example, it is shaping the future of warfare in various parts of the world. 

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