FOR TWO and a half centuries, Cagayan's tobacco aboard the famed Spanish galleons, cruising on the sweat, tears, blood of Cagayanos and on the high seas to Acapulco (Mexico), North Africa, Indochina, Australia and other parts of the world, earned the epithet for the province as Cagayan de Tabaco.

Cagayan turned out to be the prime tobacco-producing region in Asia and the largest in Cagayan Valley. But will the coming century find Cagayan de Tabaco no more?

The scenario is not remote as the sight of a farmer burning his carts of ''rejected'' tobacco has been common. Due to lack of seeds and seedlings, many farmers in Cagayan are abandoning tobacco farming that once produced new social classes like almacineros (warehouse men), compradores (middlemen), rich farmers and entrepreneurs.

The tobacco industry also employed Cagayanos as leaf sorters and pressers.

According to the Cagayan Valley regional development plan, 1,113 metric tons of tobacco were expected from 1,039 hectares of lands in Cagayan in 1994.

In his book ''Vignettes of Cagayan,'' the late Msgr. Domingo Mallo wrote that it was only in 1583 that Cagayan began to be called a province. With the opening of the Suez Canal, the galleon trade between Acapulco and Manila began to decline and the country no longer depended on the silver of Mexico and Peru for salaries and projects.

This started the cultivation and monopoly of tobacco, which was hoped to be the province's main source of revenues. Like all other monopolies, however, the tobacco industry opened the way to many abuses because the government was the sole buyer, always set a price favorable to it even if it was unfair to residents and farmers.

The middlemen, like their later-day counterparts, had their eyes only on commissions while the farmers were forced to think of ways to ''countercheat the countercheaters,'' Mallo wrote.

In 1786 when the monopoly failed and the government prohibited the growing of tobacco, the Cagayanos began cultivating tobacco in forest clearings and distributed it as a contraband at a bandit's price. Young men began an exodus to Manila and the province became poorer in money and manpower.

Even before the imposition of the monopoly and right after it, the natives had been complaining of unfair treatment from their rulers. The recriminations and accusations between missionaries and civil authorities with regard to the treatment of natives led to revolts in villages, like the Magalad Revolt in Iguig town, also known as the Revolt of the Itawit natives.

Tabacalera (Compania General de Tabacco de Filipinas) was founded in 1881. Its main aim was to continue the development of the Philippine tobacco. It bought three large haciendas in Cagayan--the San Antonio, Santa Isabel and San Luis plantations.

Experiments were made in these plantations to increase the yield and improve the quality of tobacco leaf. Dutch experts were brought from Java and Sumatra to produce the extraordinary leaves of the famed Indonesian tobacco.

World War I and the change of sovereignty did not stop Tabacalera from achieving its objectives. Tabacalera negotiated and obtained contracts from European business firms. It also developed new markets for Philippine tobacco in North Africa, Indochina and Australia.

To maintain steady supply for its factory in Manila and its commitments to Spain, Tabacalera organized a network of agencies and sub-agencies in Lallo and Tuguegarao towns in Cagayan and Ilagan town in Isabela. Soon, almacines or warehouses emerged but were headed by foreigners, mostly Spaniards who later married Cagayanas.

Among them were the Otero, Prieto, Garcia, Nieto, Roa and a German, Otto Weber, who headed the Alhambra in Tuguegarao. They employed Cagayanos as almacineros and compradores who formed a new social class, many of them were addressed with ''Don'' before their names.

Tobacco farmers in Tuguegarao, Enrile, Alcala, Lallo and other towns were encouraged by the tobacco demand and the prices it fetched that they were able to send their children to college.

Town and barrio fiestas were lavish because farmers could get money in advance from the casa (tobacco warehouse) even before tobacco was planted because anyway, harvest was assured, and so with prices. Living rooms were used as storage for cured tobacco leaves to protect their texture before they were taken to the casa or almacin.

Tobacco growing then was a family affair. Men did the plowing, while women and children took charge of planting, deworming, gathering and sticking the leaves. Men also took charge of sun drying, piling and taking the leaves to the almacin.

Several factors led to the decline of tobacco production in the province. World War II, the Japanese occupation and the height of subversive activities made tobacco growers abandon tobacco farming.

The swelling of the Cagayan River, whose mineral content of its water is believed to make Cagayan tobacco's rare texture and quality, also contributed to its decline.

Whenever the river swelled, it silted the rich tobacco farms along its banks, thus reducing the area and fertility of tobacco fields.

The rise of new tobacco buying firms brought hope for the dying crop which also brought about more compradores. Some even gave farmers free sticks and advanced money.

However, when these farmers brought their harvests to the new casas, they started to get frustrated because they had to accept whatever price was told them, with their cash advance immediately deducted.

The Philippine Tobacco Administration came to the rescue by buying the farmers' produce at controlled prices. But some farmers in need of money found it easier to get cash advance from private commercial buyers who took advantage of them.

To improve the quality of Cagayan tobacco for export, the PTA sent out technicians to help farmers. But because of their insistence on using the traditional tobacco production, farmers found their harvest rejected or classified as inferior.

They started to lose interest in the crop. This was aggravated when farmers went into cotton production.

But cotton production again frustrated the farmers who invested so much, yet their cotton harvests were not bought as these were reportedly found to have sticky textures as a result of the soil content.

Big tobacco firms have closed shop while a few farmers, especially the one-time tobacco-rich villagers, plant tobacco for their own consumption and for local sale.

Have the El Niño and the La Niña finally come to give the death blow to the Cagayan de Tabaco?