Thursday, June 28, 2012

Tobacco And The Economy (Tid Bits)


http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=140747

The tobacco growers demand from the President to impose a veto on the amendments, along with keeping jobs in the sector, and protecting investments in the country's business.


http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/06/28/letter-who-tobacco-and-farmers.html

Accepting the WHO’s recommendation to say no to tobacco seems too early without considering the implications for tobacco farmers. It will crash their economy and increase the percentage of people living in poverty, which has decreased in 2012 in Indonesia. 

Soedaryono, the general chairman of AMTI (Indonesian Tobacco Society Alliance), was quoted by Rimanews on May 28 as saying, “We urge the government to listen to our voice as the tobacco farmers and part of Indonesian society rather than receive an agriculture policy that is incomprehensible. This is an external force that does not understand the real situation.” 






The industry was formalised eight years ago after the government initiated Operation Murambatsvina.

Albert Munemo, a kitchen unit-maker, said the influx of farmers bringing the crop to auction floors had resulted in an upsurge in business.

He, however, said since the decline in tobacco deliveries, business was slowing down.

“Business is very slow now. Maybe people have no money, but we benefited from tobacco farmers. Now they are gone,” Munemo said.


The head of House of Representatives Commission IX, which oversees health matters, on Thursday criticized some nongovernmental organizations for receiving funding from the Bloomberg Initiative, a global tobacco control effort.

“For example, ICW [Indonesian Corruption Watch], which is concerned about eradicating corruption, is instead receiving foreign donations,” Ribka Tjiptaning said. “They are prostituting their own nation. We know how they get money.”

She said that ICW had received $45,470 in July 2010 to bolster an anti-tobacco campaign mainly aimed at reshaping tobacco regulation in Indonesia.

Ribka said the funding was also meant to support the government’s plan to issue a tobacco control bill amid criticism that the regulation threatened some 15 million Indonesian tobacco farmers whose lives depended on the tobacco industry.

Senator John Crown has said the manufacturing and sale of tobacco products should be banned by 2025.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0627/senator-calls-for-ban-on-tobacco-products-by-2025.html

The senator, who is also a consultant oncologist, said the measures should be adopted at a European level.
He said placing a ban on the manufacturing and sale of cigarettes  should be a long-term goal. 

Senator Crown said  "It will give the companies time to re-tool the machines to make something else.

"This is a time when the world is short of food. Imagine all that agricultural land being used to produce cancer causing tobacco instead of being used to grow food




Imagine the lack of tax revenue Imagine the lack of jobs. 


I always wondered how many people were employed by the large tobacco manufacturers or how many people grew tobacco.


None of these things seem to matter to these people 


Their lack of vision is astounding and their prejudice blinds them to the truth that anyone can plainly see.


Just from an economic standpoint calling for this is shortsighted,foolish and painfully stupid.