Tobacco Documents Online

a a  INFOTAB WORKSHOP, September 19-22, 1983 MOBILISING ALLIES Threats - Fallacies - Realities 2.1 presented by Peter Mercer IF I MAY BE FORGIVEN FOR USING CRICKETING PARLANCE - THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN PROMOTED TO OPEN THE BATTING THIS YEAR - THAT'S THE GOOD NEWS - THE BAD IS THAT IT'S THE 2nd XI OPENING THE BATTING. MIKE LEACH WHOM YOU ALL KNOW, IS UNABLE TO BE WITH US TODAY. HE SENDS TO YOU HIS APOLOGIES AND HAS ASKED ME TO STAND IN FOR HIM SO THIS HOUR IS DEVOTED TO WHAT HAS BEEN LOOSELY CALLED MOBIL- ISING ALLIES. WHAT WE PROPOSE TO DO IS:- FIRSTLY, 1) I WILL TELL YOU BRIEFLY WHAT THE PROJECT UNDER MICHAEL LEACH HAS BEEN DOING. GROUP 2) I WILL THEN TELL YOU WHAT IT PLANS TO DO I-N THE FUTURE. 3) WE THEN HAVE A PACKAGE WHICH WE HAVE PRODUCED AS AN AID TO COMMUNICATIONS THAT WILL BE THE END OF MY PART IN THE PROCEEDINGS. 4) EDDIE ENAHARO FROM TACOM HAS THEN A CASE HISTORY FROM NIGERIA AND HE WILL BE FOLLOWED BY:-

5) MAURICE ROONEY, FROM THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY COUNCIL IN ZIMBABWE. IF ALL HAS GONE ACCORDING TO SCHEDULE WE SHOULD THEN HAVE A FEW MINUTES FOR QUESTIONS SO, WHAT HAS THE PROJECT GROUP BEEN DOING? 1) IT HAS COMPLETED THE ANALYSIS OF THE 1st E.I.U. STUDY AND MADE RECOMMENDATIONS TO YOU THROUGH INFOTAB AS TO HOW IT CAN BE USED IN THE FUTURE. 2) IT'S UPDATED THE 'THREATS' PAPER - THE ONE WHICH OUTLINES THE THREATS BEING LEVELLED AGAINST THE INDUSTRY BY W.H.O. AND OTHER U.N. BODIES. THIS HAS ALSO BEEN SENT OUT TO N.M.A's BY INFOTAB. 3) WE'VE STUDIED WAYS IN WHICH THE LEAF GROWING OR TOBACCO GROWING COMMUNITY CAN BE MORE EFFECTIVELY MOBILISED. AT A ROUGH GUESS TOBACCO GROWING PROVIDES EMPLOYMENT FOR SOME 18 MN. PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD. AS TOBACCO GROWING IS NORM- ALLY A PRETTY PROFITABLE BUSINESS, AT A FURTHER GUESS IT COULD MEAN THAT APPROX. 50 MN. PEOPLE IN FARM FAMILIES ARE LARGELY DEPENDENT UPON TOBACCO FOR THEIR EXISTENCE. 0 a ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

NOW FARMERS IN MY EXPERIENCE ARE PRETTY INDEPENDENT AND OFTEN HARD-NOSED PEOPLE - IF I MAY BE CRITICAL OF THEM FOR A MOMENT THEY TEND TO THINK ABOUT THE PROBLEMS OF TODAY RATHER THAN THOSE OF TOMORROW - AND FOR THE MOST PART THEY ARE COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF THE THREATS BEING LEVELLED AGAINST THEIR LIVELI- HOODS. THE GROUP THEREFORE HAS DONE A COMPLETE ANALYSIS OF HOW FARMERS ARE ORGANISED AROUND THE WORLD IN ORDER TO DETERMINE HOW DEVELOPING COUNTRY N.M.A's CAN BE GIVEN MORE ASSISTANCE IN ALERTING THEM TO THESE THREATS TO THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR LIVELIHOODS. WE HAVE ALSO RECRUITED TO THE RANKS OF INFOTAB SEVERAL OF THE MAIN INTERNATIONAL LEAF DEALERS IN ORDER THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE HELP WHEN REQUIRED THROUGH THEIR LEAF KNOWLEDGE AND CONTACTS. WHILST THEY ARE NOT WELL REPRESENTED TODAY I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE MY OWN SPECIAL WELCOME TO THEM. MORE RECENTLY THE GROUP HAS DEVOTED A LOT OF THOUGHT TO WINNI- PEG AND ITS IMPLICATIONS. WE SHALL HEAR A LOT MORE TOMORROW MORNING ON WINNIPEG FROM HANS VERKERK. BUT THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES WE NOTED 2 PROBLEMS OF SIGNIFI- CANCE:-

1) THAT AT A SPECIAL MEETING ATTENDED BY 40 D.C. DELEGATES, IT WAS PROPOSED THAT AN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF NON-GOVT. ORGANISATIONS BE SET UP AND THAT MR. KOHR, WHO IS THE EXTREMIST REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CONSUMERS ASSOC. IN PENANG SHOULD CO-ORDINATE IT. 2) THE OTHER PROBLEM WAS THE PROLIFERATION OF U.I.C.C. SMOKING CONTROL WORKSHOPS PLANNED FOR S. AMERICA AND FOR AFRICA - IN COLOMBIA, BOLIVIA, MEXICO, ECUADOR, PANAMA, BRAZIL AND PARAGUAY - AND IN AFRICA FOR NIGERIA, ZIMBABWE AND KENYA. THE ATTACK IS BETTER ORGANISED AND CO-ORDINATED AND STRONGER NOW THAN IT HAS EVER BEEN. WE NOW FEEL THAT TO COMBAT THESE ATTACKS AN ON-GOING INDUSTRY STRATEGY IS NEEDED AND IN THIS CONTEXT THE WINNIPEG CONFERENCE MAY HAVE PROVIDED US WITH TWO OPPORTUNITIES. 1) THE PAPER PREPARED BY THE F.A.O. ON THE ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF TOBACCO HAS CAUSED CONSIDERABLE ALARM - AND SO IT SHOULD. SOMEONE HAS CALLED IT A P0-FACED ANALYSIS OF THE BENEFITS OF GROWING TOBACCO BUT THE FACTS IN THE PAPER SPEAK SPEAK LOADLY FOR THEMSELVES. THERE IS LITTLE DOUBT CONSIDERABLE EFFORTS WILL BE MADE TO KEEP THE REPORT QUIET - OF 15 NATIONAL F.A.O. DELEGATES INTERVIEWED IN JUNE ONLY 2 HAD EVEN HEARD OF IT. WE MUST MAKE SURE THAT IT IS PUBLICISED AND AIRED AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE.

2) THE SECOND THING WHICH HAPPENED AT WINNIPEG IS THAT MANY DEVELOPING COUNTRY DELEGATES COMPLAINED THAT THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF TOBACCO WAS A PROBLEM IN THEIR COUNTRIES - I AM NOT SURPRISED!! THEY COMPLAINED THAT AGRICULTURAL AND FINANCE MINISTERS WERE MORE POWERFUL THAN HEALTH MINISTERS. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THERE ARE WEAKNESSES IN THE ENEMY CAMP. WE NOW WANT TO BUILD ON THESE WEAKNESSES TO DEVELOP FOR N.M.A. A STRATEGY WHICH WILL PRE-EMPT AND DEAL WITH ATTACKS ON THE INDUSTRY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. THIS STRATEGY SHOULD BE PROACTIVE AND PREVENTIVE RATHER THAN DEFENSIVE AND CURATIVE

I WOULD NOW LIKE TO TURN TO OUR 'PACKAGE'. WE FELT THAT IT WOULD HELP REGIONAL CO-ORDINATORS & N.M.A's IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IF THEY HAD AVAILABLE SOME KIND OF AIDE-MEMOIRE WHEN TALKING TO MINISTERS OR M.P's., PRESS, & INFORMATION OFFICERS FARMERS REPS. & OPINION FORMERS GENERALLY. THE SLIDES WHICH I AM ABOUT TO SHOW YOU ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE A PRESENTATION IN THEMSELVES - THEY ARE THE POSSIBLE SKELETON OF A PRESENTATION WHICH YOU CAN PICK AND CHOOSE FROM BUT WHICH NEED THE PRESENTER'S OWN COMMENTARY AND HIS INDIVIDUAL INTER- PRETATION. THEY DO NOT PROVIDE OPINIONS - VIRTUALLY ALL THE SLIDES AS YOU WILL SEE PRESENT FACTS THE FACTS ARE TAKEN IN THE MAIN FROM:- 1) W.H.O. OFFICIAL PAPERS 2) THE 1st E.I.U. STUDY 3) THE E.I.U. FOOD STUDY 4) THE F.A.O. ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE PAPER 5) U.S.D.A. OFFICIAL STATISTICS THE SLIDES FALL INTO 2 CATEGORIES:- N (J'I a ~ 1) FIRSTLY: THE THREATS - THESE ARE IN A NASTY ORANGE AND O tV ~ YELLOW COLOUR. ~ ~ ~ 2) SECONDLY: THE BENEFITS - IN A SOFT, PLEASANT GREEN & YELLUW

ECONOMIC SOCIO-ECONOMIC TOBACCO & FOOD EMPLOYMENT EXPORT EARNINGS IMPORT SUBSTITUTION PHRM/CJ 17/10/83