Phl, 79 other countries nix WHO guidelines on tobacco products

VIGAN  CITY, Philippines —Thousands of tobacco farmers in the northern provinces where the crop is grown have joined hands with their colleagues in 79 other countries in opposing the proposal of the World Health Organization (WHO) to ban the use of ingredients in tobacco products which is being tackled at a global conference attended by representatives of various countries including the Philippines in Uruguay.

Led by Alejandrino Reyes, president of the Philippine Association of Tobacco-Based Cooperatives (PATCO), the farmers expressed alarm that they will lose their livelihood once the proposal which is contained in WHO’s planned guidelines to restrict smoking is approved in the so-called 4th Conference of Parties.

“This (proposal if approved) will result in massive loss of livelihood and tobacco farmers will be dislocated and be left with no means to support their families,” Reyes said.

The WHO proposal prohibits the use of other tobacco varieties like burley in the manufacture of tobacco products which American blend cigarettes utillize as blending material. Burley is widely grown in Pangasinan, Isabela, Cagayan, and La Union.

“We thank our colleagues in other countries and join hands with them in rejecting this move that would wipe out demand for burley,” the PATCO chief said.

Earlier, the International Tobacco Growers’ Association (ITGA)of which the Philippines is member announced the  stand of the Council of Ministers of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) composed of 79 countries opposing the approval of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidelines – for a ban on ingredients used in tobacco products – at its 4th Conference of the Parties (COP) that is currently being held until Saturday in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

“These guidelines will destroy the livelihoods of millions of some of the poorest people in the world for no health benefit,” ITGA, in a statement made available to The STAR by Reyes, said.

The group claimed that “the latest WHO guidelines for Articles 9 and 10 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) would virtually eliminate blended cigarettes, which require ingredients, and account for half of global consumption.”

“The knock-on effect would be a drastic reduction in the demand for burley and oriental tobacco used to make these products. The ban is being proposed despite WHO acknowledgments that products without ingredients are just as harmful as those with (ingredients),”ITGA added.

The ACP is reportedly the most recent organization to question the WHO’s approach and follows calls by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Union (AU) to reject or put back these decisions on the ground that they could cause major economic and social devastation to developing countries.

Antonio Abrunhosa, chief executive of the ITGA, representing 30 million tobacco growers, said, “The ACP has recognized that these WHO guidelines should not be adopted. Their message to the WHO is very clear; impacted stakeholders must be properly consulted before decisions are taken.”

ACP consists of 79 tobacco- producing countries—48 African, 16 Caribbean, and 15 Pacific.

The WHO has allegedly “controversially” decided to exclude tobacco farmers from all discussions around the development of FCTC guidelines, dismissing them as “interferences”.

The ITGA called on every country representative attending the Conference of the Parties in Uruguay to fully understand the impact of adopting Articles 9 and 10 of the FCTC. “These guidelines will destroy the livelihoods of millions of some of the poorest people in the world for no health benefit,” Abrunhosa claimed.