Serbian Tobacco Growers Protest At Philip Morris Factory

Source from:  NIS, Serbia-Montenegro (AP) 04/07/2005

Hundreds of tobacco growers in southern Serbia blockaded a tobacco plant Monday owned by Philip Morris, demanding higher prices for their produce and debt relief from the company. Claiming that Duvanska Industrija Nis has violated terms of a cooperation agreement with farmers and put them into an "unbearable debt situation," the farmers drove their cars, tractors and vans around the plant, demanding to talk to the management. The company, known as DIN, is based in the southern Serbian city of Nis and majority-owned by Phillip Morris Holland B.V. "The aim of the blockade is to prevent bankruptcy of thousands of tobacco growers," in southeastern Serbia, said protest leader, Miroljub Rakic. The protesters said they were each stuck with approximately $15,000 in debts to DIN, accumulated through loans from the company obtained for purchasing tobacco seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and equipment for drying tobacco leaves. The company said in a statement, "we offer reasonable terms of cooperation to all tobacco growers in Serbia." It said DIN was paying "by far the highest prices" for raw tobacco in Serbia and that the protesters represented only a minority of growers. Other growers, the company said, continue to work under the "terms clearly defined by existing contracts." They demanded that the company write off their debts. Some 40 policemen guarded the factory gates, preventing the protesters from entering the compound. Enditem