Burley Tobacco will not be affected by the WHO FCTC Article 9 and 10 Guidelines

Pub:1.013 Wednesday , 10 November, 2010

Media Release

Burley Tobacco will not be affected by the WHO FCTC Article 9 and 10 Guidelines


Smoke Free Malawi, is the project of the Youth Alliance in Social and Economic Development (YASED) which has been established to campaign and highlight the effects of smoking in public health and lobby for the signing of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) of the World Health Organisation.

In the past six months, the media and the Country at large has been intimidated and false alarm raised mainly by the Tobacco Industry claiming that the new guidelines for Articles 9 and 10 expected to be adopted by the FCTC Conference of Parties to held from the 15th to the 20th November 2010 in Uruguay, will affect production of the Burley Tobacco.

Malawi is among the top countries that grow burley tobacco and such alarmist’s statements propagated by the Tobacco Industry supported by the International Growers Association (ITGA) have found a fertile ground.

Recently, associations representing tobacco growers around the world have distributed misleading information about the flavourings that are added to tobacco products and about draft guidelines that would “restrict or prohibit” these flavourings.

Flavourings and other additives are widely used in cigarettes and other tobacco products to increase the palatability or attractiveness of tobacco smoke, particularly for young people.

The more attractive tobacco products are, the more people will become addicted and, ultimately, the more will die from tobacco-caused disease.

Draft guidelines, to be discussed by more than 170 countries at the meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) in Uruguay in November, recommend that countries “restrict or prohibit” flavourings that increase palatability, have colouring properties, create the impression of health benefits or are associated with energy and vitality.

Contrary to industry claims, guidelines do not recommend a ban on burley tobacco, which is grown worldwide and often flavoured during production. Cigarettes containing burley continue to be sold in countries with strong restrictions on flavourings.

Draft guidelines for implementation of Articles 9 and 10 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which deal with product regulation, have been prepared by a Working Group of Parties for consideration by the COP in November 2010.

A recommendation in section 3.1.2.2(i) of the guidelines to “either prohibit or restrict” flavouring substances has received considerable opposition from the tobacco industry.

Despite tobacco industry lobbying, such a recommendation is entirely reasonable, necessary and worthy of support. Although the tobacco industry may wish to have the unregulated freedom to use chocolate, fruit, sugar, candy, ice cream and other flavourings to improve product attractiveness, what the tobacco industry wants is incompatible with public health.

Malawi

Malawi can only attend the COP 4 as observers and will not have any influence as it has not signed the FCTC therefore it is not a party to the conference. This ambiguous position should send a wake up call to Government to take immediate steps to sign the FCTC that any future negotiations should encompass the country’s view.

Locally, the economy and many livelihoods depend on Tobacco, but the benefits to the majority has been limited as it has been publicly acknowledged by His Excellency the State President Ngwazi Professor Bingu wa Mutharika on several occasions.

Malawian men, women and children continue to work in semi-slavery conditions, while the Tenancy Labour bill has been shelved for over 15 years due to the improper influence of the industry in Malawi.

It is a documented fact that corruption, bribery and intimidation is the character of the Tobacco industry and it has for years thrived on bribing senior Government and Opposition politicians as recently exposed by the United States Securities Commission. (See attached documents).

The country has been grossly misinformed on the Articles deliberately as the industry is targeting young people to sustain the industry that produces one of the most deadly products to human health.


The Future of Tobacco in Malawi

It is immoral for the industry to abuse the limited capacity of our experts in the field of the WHO framework and use it to misinform the many farmers who grow burley tobacco that there future hangs in balance. We challenge anybody to mention which article mentions burley tobacco ban.

To the contrary Burley has a future in the next two decades, but as the reality is that many people are realizing the dangers of smoking and eventually it will have a great effect to our economy, we proposed our planners to seriously start bringing alternatives:

1. Sign and ratify the FCTC and get internal influence. Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique have all signed the FCTC and they continue to grow tobacco.
2. Develop a serious 10 year national plan to diversify the economy with a planned uptake of ten percent of the current 50,000 registered growers into different sector.
3. Develop and build capacity of experts to monitor information coming out of industry including proper audit of the industry profits within the country which are always undervalued resulting in payment of low prices at the Auction floors.
4. Enact the Labour Tenancy bill and other legislation which will protect Malawians from public smoking and environmental degradation caused by Tobacco production.
5. Develop new taxes for the sector and ensure quality control of the sectors production and marketing of cigarettes especially access by young people.

Smoke Free Malawi is addressing a press briefing on Friday 12th November, 2010 where these issues will be discussed in full. The Government and Private Sector is welcome to the briefing for an open and honest discussion on this matter.

The technical assistance for the briefing has been provided by the Framework Convention Alliance (FCA) The FCA is a civil society alliance of NGOs, institutions, experts and others, whose mission is to help develop and implement the FCTC as the basis for effective global tobacco control. It represents more than 350 members in 100 countries. For more information, see www.fctc.org. For further information, contact FCA Communications Manager Marty Logan in Ottawa, tel: +1.613.241.3927, ext 302 (office), +1.613.617.1179 (mobile), loganm@fctc.org.


Locally please contact the undersigned on 0999957331 or 0881121005 or email kmunthali@yahoo.com.


Make Malawi a healthy, prosperous and productive,


Kondwani Munthali
Smoke Free National Coordinator