REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, Cigarette plain packaging is a threat for Indonesian kretek cigarette

By: Budidoyo, Secretary General of Indonesian Tobacco Farmers Association

What will a human with a healthy conscience do if his/her livelihood is threatened by policy that does not make sense at all? We FIGHT to protect it.

This was exactly what drove around 500 tobacco farmers to go out on the street and rallied in front of the French Embassy in Jakarta on 9 June 2015. We voiced out our opposition towards cigarette plain packaging policy that is planned by the French Government. This policy threatens Indonesian kretek cigarette industry where more than 2 million tobacco farmers depend their livelihoods on.

Our aspiration is very clear: first, we strongly oppose cigarette plain packaging policy, which discriminates against an industry is both economically important and hugely symbolic for Indonesia. Second, the Indonesian Government must do whatever it takes, including retaliation against alcoholic drinks, in order to protect the dignity of Indonesia as a sovereign country in fighting for the rights of its tobacco farmers against absurd policy.

To date, our country is the second largest producer-exporter of manufactured tobacco product in the world. Certainly, my fellow tobacco farmers and I are proud of this achievement. However, we believe cigarette plain packaging policy is a major threat that could weaken the competitiveness of Indonesian tobacco products and our position in the export market. The implementation of this policy will reduce the demand of tobacco leaves from Indonesian tobacco farmers who have been meeting the demand of domestic and export market.

As a country that takes pride in its grape agriculture, France should be able to understand how important tobacco farming is for Indonesia. Therefore, we hope that the French Government could act wiser before implementing such an excessive policy as cigarette plain packaging that threatens our livelihoods. We believe it is very important for us to continuously remind them of the Indonesian Government’s plan to implement similar policy on French wine and alcohol so that they can share our present concern.

This peaceful rally was not the first. In November 2014, hundreds of tobacco farmers had visited the Australian Embassy as the first country to implement the cigarette plain packaging policy back in 2012. At that time, we stated that there should be no other countries to implement such experimental policy with no scientific evidence, but unfortunately Ireland, UK, and now France has planned to implement it. This peaceful rally will not be our last if other countries are also considering cigarette plain packaging policy. Indonesian tobacco farmers are determined in carrying a common message: Plain Packaging Kills Us.

We, tobacco farmers, support the Government of Jokowi-JK to be strong and not afraid in responding to the policies of other countries that threaten the livelihood of Indonesians, such as cigarette plain packaging. It is time for Indonesian tobacco farmers to flex our muscle and exert all efforts to maintain the sustainability of our livelihood.

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