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Tobacco industry body decries ban on cigarettes

Perturbed over government attempts to ban smoking in public places, the Indian Tobacco Association has instead asked the states to focus on basic necessities for the masses.

The state governments are working ''too hard and too fast'' in curbing smoking even while developed countries have not been so successful, ITA president B S Krishnamurthy said in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.

He demanded that the government should give ''a transistion phase of 20-30 years'' to curb smoking rather than ''putting too much pressure in too short a time'' on an industry which is already facing uncertain times.

Claiming that the growing measures to stop smoking in public places will ''boomerang on the country itself'', Krishnamurthy said millions of workers and farmers will be displaced even as government revenues from tobacco exports will dip.

The Kerala high court had recently ordered a ban on smoking in public places. Rajasthan and Goa are also contemplating similar steps.

He said 30 million people are dependent on the tobacco industry, their collective annual wages totalling $ 250 million. Excise collections account for $ 1.2 billion.

Acknowledging that smoking affects health, he however lamented that the industry is feeling the pinch of declining cigarette sales. Instead of outright ban on smoking, he advocated a long-term education programme.

''Tell the smokers not to smoke rather than those who are making a livelihood out of tobacco.''

He cited industry efforts to reduce harmful effects of smoking by controlling nicotine and tar content in cigarettes through research and development. For instance, Indian Leaf Tobacco Development Division of ITC Limited spends about a quarter of its earnings from exports on research.

On moves to impose restrictions on cigarette advertisements, Krishnamurthy claimed that tobacco consumption has shot up in Norway, Sweden, Canada and Singapore after a ban on ads.

The ITA official said even the farmers would not like to opt out of the tobacco cultivation as they do not have any alternate crops which would give similarly lucrative returns.

UNI

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