Introduction
The tobacco industry in the City of Candon has played a big factor in its economic, social and political evolution.

The people have made planting of Virginia Tobacco as their main livelihood, making Candon the biggest tobacco-producing town in the entire region. Social functions and festivities coincide with the tobacco harvest seasons and the lifestyles of the people depend on the good times and great fortune that tobacco brought.

Tobacco Through the Years
In the early 80’s when Candon became the tobacco center of Ilocos Sur, the tobacco industry leaders built their re-drying and flue-curing barns here, giving seasonal jobs to indigent and illiterate residents as classifiers and laborers. More than a thousand people are benefited every year.

With this employment opportunity, Candonians were able to send the succeeding generations to school and earn college degrees. Thus in a span of more than two decades, Candon has attained its present prosperity through the tobacco products that it cultivated and grew.

For this reason, the seal of the Candon City government bears two tobacco leaves drawn like wings of a torch to signify the great contribution of tobacco to the City’s present progress. Despite the continuing anti-tobacco campaign, Candon City remains steadfast in acclaiming the merits of tobacco as a valuable agricultural product.

It is currently producing about three million kilos annually planted in more than one thousand hectares making it the country’s biggest tobacco producer.