India: Allow Tobacco Farmers to Participate in International Conference on Tobacco Control: FAIFA

Source from:  The Times of India 08/24/2016

Fearing tougher anti-tobacco measures, tobacco growers in India have urged the government to allow them to participate in the upcoming international conference on tobacco control, which India will host later this year.

The seventh session of the Conference of Parties (COP7) will see health ministers and public health experts from all over the world coming together to deliberate on further measures to control tobacco consumption, which kills around 6 million people every year. The decisions which will be taken during the conference, to be held in New Delhi between November 7 and 12, are likely to become part of World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) - one of the most widely embraced treaties of the United Nations with 180 parties covering 90% of the world's population.

While India has already implemented some tough measures, including larger pictorial warning on packs of all tobacco products and increased taxation on sale of such products, tobacco farmers are concerned that their livelihood might be affected with international agencies likely to push for more stringent measures.

"Our participation will help us understand the future course of actions being proposed by WHO on tobacco control and the impact of these measures on the tobacco crop cultivated by us and the livelihood of millions that are dependent on tobacco in the country," said BV Javare Gowda, President, Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA) representing tobacco growers.

FAIFA has also written to the government as well as applied to the FCTC Secretariat to allow it to attend the COP7 and take part in the conference deliberations.

The Association said inclusion of farmers will bring in transparency which is required in any public policy-making process.

"It is a matter of great concern for us that FCTC decisions in the past are made behind closed doors. It is clear that the interests of tobacco growers are not represented in the debates especially when the decisions have a direct bearing on the lives of tobacco growers," the farmers' association said.

The government faced a lot of resistance from tobacco producers and manufacturers of tobacco products while pushing for 80% pictorial warning on packs of all such products - which was also part of a commitment to the FCTC. The health ministry, however, stood by its decision backed by the Prime Minister's Office and intervention by the Rajasthan High Court. Enditem