Malaysia: Reject WHO Proposal, Say Tobacco Growers

Source from:  Sun Daily (my)  10/08/2012

Local tobacco growers have urged the government to reject "absurd" guidelines proposed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) under its tobacco control policies, claiming it would adversely affect their livelihood.

Kelantan Tobacco Growers and Curers Association chairman Norman Md Noor said there are some 15,000 local tobacco growers whose main source of income will be at stake, should the government heed WHO's recommendations. The recommendations are expected to be discussed during the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control's (FCTC) fifth conference in Seoul, Korea, next month. "Draft recommendations on tobacco farming and environmental practices, defined in Article 17 and 18, could force our communities out of business through punitive measures introduced," said Norman in a statement. The statement was also endorsed by the International Tobacco Growers Association, a body which represents millions of tobacco growers world wide. Norman claimed the proposed recommendations also contradicted FCTC's original intention which is to "aid the economic transition of tobacco growers and workers whose livelihood are seriously affected as a consequence of tobacco control programmes". "Under the earlier FCTC, the proposals encouraged governments to help tobacco growers find viable alternatives to growing tobacco, with the assumption that demand would decline over time," he said. He said several recommendations which have raised major concerns include banning minimum support prices and leaf auctions, reducing land areas allocated for tobacco farming and banning financial or technical support for tobacco farmers. "We call upon the Malaysian government to listen to our voices rather than accept the irrational agricultural policies of international health pressure groups," said Norman, stressing that a clear stand against the guidelines must be made during the WHO conference. Enditem