Indonesia Tobacco Farmers Association Commemorated the World Tobacco Growers Day

Source from:  Protectfarmers.tobaccoleaf.com 11/11/2014

On 29 October 2014, the Indonesia Tobacco Farmers Association (APTI) commemorated the World Tobacco Growers' Day in Pamekasan Madura, East Java. Around 2,500 tobacco farmers, representing most of the tobacco growing areas in Indonesia, gathered on this event and organized various activities, among others cultural parade involving hundreds farmers, the launching of Indonesia tobacco farmer cooperative, and the farmers petition signing. The main objective of the event is to express the farmers support towards the government, both the central and regional government, for its consistent position in rejecting the FCTC. APTI believes that the FCTC and its implementing guidelines threaten the livelihoods of millions of Indonesian people who depend on the national tobacco sector, particularly the tobacco farmers.
 
The event was attended and fully supported by the regent of Pamekasan. The regent appreciated the farmers petition, which highlighted the solidarity of Indonesian tobacco farmers together with the tobacco farmers all around the world to reject FCTC, and announced that he would deliver the petition to the President and other relevant officials. In conjunction, the APTI's leaderships conveyed the message to the new government asking them to be consistent not to ratify FCTC and to provide its full support to the new government in its ongoing case against Australia's Plain Packaging in the WTO. The ITGA message on WTGD was also conveyed and received enthusiasm from the farmers.
 
The event went well and covered by several local and national media (the screen shot of Jakarta post and the online media links are provided below). In its media statement, APTI continues to hope that the new government sees the tobacco industry objectively and wisely, as the previous administration, which consistently rejected the FCTC accession and to act against the FCTC excessive guidelines such as Plain Packaging. Enditem