烟草在线据马尼拉公报报道编译　　尽管面临更高税收的威胁，卷烟制造商菲莫福川公司正在菲律宾寻求其他它可以对烟草种植进行投资的地点。

　　菲莫福川总裁克里斯·尼尔森说，公司正在寻找他们在12个月内能持续种植烟草而且不容易受到台风袭击的地方。

　　“我们正在努力改善我们的产品质量，我们实际上想看看我们是否能连续种植烟草，我们试着寻找受天气影响不大的不同地区，”尼尔森对记者说。

　　他说，目前，农民们只在9月到10月种植烟草，而在下一年的3月份准备收获。

　　但尼尔森还说，地区的土壤条件仍是菲莫福川投资之前要考虑的一个主要因素。

　　烟草通常种植在伊罗科斯地区，不过，尼尔森表示，该省经常遭到台风袭击，结果产量很低。去年，烟草的总产量为7900万公斤。

　　“这个想法是找到我们可以连续生产的地方，如果证明成功的话，我们将扩大我们的业务，我们当然也需要从农民手中得到烟叶，”尼尔森解释道。

　　他说，菲莫福川把薄荷岛看作是另一个可能种植烟草的地方，同时正在对卡加延德奥罗省和民都洛岛进行测试。

　　在菲莫公司与福川烟草公司合并后，菲莫福川至少拥有90%的菲律宾烟草业市场份额。其品牌有万宝路、菲莫、财富、冠军和老板卷烟。

　　目前，该国约270万人在烟草业就业。然而，该行业，受到税务局的压力，税务局一直在在国会推动一项提高消费税税率的法案。

　　尽管面临这种威胁，尼尔森表示，菲莫福川将继续在菲律宾做生意。

　　“我们不会离开这个国家的，就像我以前所说的我们自1955年以来就一直在这里。我认为自1955年以来我们看到发生了很多变化，当然我们承诺留在这里，”尼尔森说。

　　但他也警告说，提议的措施将会对公司在菲律宾的未来投资发出“非常糟糕的信号”。

PMFTC To Pursue Expansion Plans

　　MANILA, Philippines - Despite a threat of higher taxes, cigarette-maker PMFTC Incorporated is looking for other locations within the Philippines where it can invest in tobacco growing.

　　Chris Nelson, PMFTC president said that the company is looking for locations where they can continuously grow tobacco in a period of 12 months and are not prone to typhoons.

　　"We're trying to improve the quality our product, we're actually trying to see if we can grow tobacco on a continuous basis and we're trying to look at different areas which are less affected by the weather," Nelson told reporters.

　　He said that at present, farmers can only plant tobacco from September to October and it will be ready for harvest in March next year.

　　But Nelson also said that area's soil condition is still a primary consideration before PMFTC will invest.

　　Tobacco usually grows in the Locos region, however, Nelson said province is frequently hit by typhoons that results to small production output. Last year, total market for tobacco reached 79 million kilos.

　　"The idea is to find places where we can have continuous production, and if that proves successful, we'll expand our business because also of course we need to get from the farmers," Nelson explained.

　　He said PMFTC is looking at Bohol as another possible location for tobacco growing while there is an ongoing testing happening in the provinces of Cagayan de Oro and Mindoro.

　　PMFTC accounts for at least 90 percent of the Philippine tobacco industry after Philip Morris combined with Fortune Tobacco. Its brands include Marlboro and Philip Morris, Fortune, Champion and Boss cigarettes.

　　At present, some 2.7 million of the country's population derive employment from the tobacco industry. The industry, however, is under pressure from tax authorities, who have been pushing a bill in Congress to raise excise tax rates.

　　Despite the threat, Nelson said PMFTC will continue to do business in the Philippines.

　　"We wouldn't move out of the country, as I've said we've been here since 1955. I think that we've seen a lot of changes since 1955, and we're committed to be here of course," Nelson said.

　　But he also warned that the proposed measure will send a "very bad signal" on the company's future investments in the Philippines.