ALL INDIA BIDI INDUSTRY FEDERATION - World Health Organization

ALL INDIA BIDI INDUSTRY FEDERATION
President: Phone : C/o. 2855859-60-61
Shri Rajnikant P. Patel Gram : ‘MAHACOM”
Parbhudas Kishordas Tobacco Fax : 022 2855861
Products Limited 12-K, Dubhash Marg
102, Popular House, Ashram Road (Rampart Row), Fort
Ahmedabad – 380 009
Phone : (O) 6580893, 6583719, 6583792
® 6749508, 6749649
Fax : 079 658 8760
Mumbai – 400 023

To
Tobacco Free Initiative
World Health Organisation
20, Avenue Appla
1211, Geneva 27
Switzerland
fctchearings@who.int
August 30, 2000
Submission to WHOs Tobacco Free Initiative on FCTC Framework Convention on Tobacco
Control
We hereby make our submissions on the above subject:-
1. THE INSTITUTE / FEDERATION
We introduce ourselves as the Federation representing the entire Bidi Industry in
India. The Bidi Industry in India employs more than 10 million of workers. Annual
production of Bidi is around 550 Billion pieces per year. The Federation is
established before 50 years back. It is funded by its members. Its membership
consists of all manufacturers of Bidis in India.
2. COUNTRY PERSPECTIVE
- India is the second largest country in the world.
- It is one of the poorest countries where almost 40% of the population live below
the poverty line who barely enjoy 2 square meals a day. 70% of the population live
in extremely undeveloped, poor and backward rural areas. Unemployment is indeed
very high and more so amongst the large illiterate population.
- India is fraught with severe health problems such as malnourishment, poor
sanitation and pollution. AIDS is becoming almost an epidemic.

Tobacco Scene
- As a result of extreme poverty, 60% of the tobacco consumption is through bidis
and chewing tobacco. These products are produced largely in unorganized sectors.
It is the poor section of men and women who engage in hand rolling and producing
these products at homes.
- Almost 20 million marginal labourers and 6 million farmers are engaged in tobacco
cultivation, 4 million people are registered as bidi rollers and about a million poor
tribals and rural people are involved in plucking tendu leaf.
- Almost a million tribals in the poor state of Madhya Pradesh and Orissa depend
upon plucking tendu leaves, which is used for rolling bidis. The tendu leaf is grown
on waste lands and is valued at almost Rs. 150 million . The tribals heavily depend on
tendu leaves for their living.
3. INDIAN GOVT POLICY APPROACH
- The government of India has recognized the unique features of the tobacco
industry problems and has as such taken up pragmatic stance.
- PMs Speech –The Hon’ble Prime Minister Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee said at WHO’s
Conference in Delhi on 7 th January 2000, “—it would be unrealistic to view tobacco
purely as a health problem and ignore the economic and social fall-outs of tobacco
control … we have to bear in mind the employment and livelihood of the large
numbers engaged in tobacco cultivation and production. If we do not conceive of
tobacco control as a comprehensive package, our attempts at intervention may
become self-defeating .. For a tobacco control law to be successfully implemented,
it must be accompanied by alternative modes of income for those dependent on
tobacco and the community at large has to be fully informed and involved”
- In India, there is a strong movement towards the following :
a) Prevention of access of tobacco products to the minors.

) Ban on advertising and sale promotion on mass media and in locations, which are
primarily accessed by the minors.
c) The Government of India and other NGOs have embarked upon educational option
to reduce tobacco consumption especially among the minors.
4. COMMENTS ON SPECIFIC FCTC ISSUES IN THE INDIAN CONTEXT
- Prices : Any increase in the price of bidis would hit the poor very hard. His only
source of relaxation / luxurious indulgence at 0.33 US Cents per bidi will snatch
away this very basic and only pleasure. As such the price increase is totally
impractical in our case.
- Smuggling / Tax Free Tobacco Products : We believe that smuggling results in
diverting money from legal to illegal sectors, exacerbates law and order problems,
Mafia operations. As such we are in total agreement that all steps should be taken
to eliminate smuggling and duty free sales.
- Advertising and Sponsorship : In India tobacco products are not advertised on
mass media such as TV, radio and in location frequented by minors. We believe that
such measures along with education are adequate and must be fully enforced.
- Test Methods : Since large section of production of bidis is in household sector
and not mechanized, it will be well nigh impossible to have facilities for testing
ingredients. Also it will be impossible to standardize the products, which is
dependent on the vagaries of nature. Bidi is manufactured in lakhs of small houses
in rural area.
- Package design and labeling: Again due to unorganized and non-branded
production, standardized packaging and labeling are impossible.

- Agriculture: It is the marginal farmers who are largely engaged in production of
bidi tobaccos. They have no alternate sources of engagement and business and
rendered without any productive work and source of income. Tribals pluck the
Tendu leaves from forest and is sold through co-operative societies.
- Information sharing :
WHO and NGO should talk to Industry and Association engaged in production of
Bidis to work out progressive and practical measures.
- National Tobacco Commission :
There is no need to have such commission when Central Government is empowered
to carry out any steps in this Area. There are Central and State legislature
existing to control and regulate tobacco industry.
5. CONCLUSION
- Employment – Almost 10 million people involved in the Bidi manufacture in the
organized sector and more so in the unorganized sector are largely illiterate and
are living below the poverty line. With high unemployment running in the country,
this marginal manpower will become destitute, as no alternative employment is
available. They and their families could starve. Further, this could lead to a
serious wide-spread law and order problem in the country. Some survey / studies
have shown that poor unemployed people have resorted to begging and to pedaling
of undesirable products such as drugs.
- The Poor Man’s Only Luxury – A Bidi which costs only 0.33 US Cents, is the only
source of relaxation and has indulgence in luxury for a poor burdened man. His
average daily expenditure on bidis is around 2.5 Cents. Snatching away this luxury,
from already a harassed man, could divert him to other illegal alternatives such as
drugs and illicit liquor, with their serious and consequences.
- The government does not subsidies production of tobaccos unlike in some other
countries.

- Priorities - The Health priorities in a developing country like India, where 40%
people live below the poverty line, are very different from those emanating in the
West. Here, the WHO needs to address first the problems of malnutrition,
mortality rates among children, sanitary conditions, drinking water and AIDS which
is assuming epidemic proportion rather than concentrating on tobacco which will
render millions without employment and food and exacerbate the law and order
problem.
- We will strongly recommend that WHO should talk to the industries and
associations involved with the production of Bidis and chewing Tobacco and
Cigarettes in India, study the operations in India thoroughly and take cognizance
of the very serious ramification of implementing FCTC in India in its current draft
form. As dictated by the western agenda we cannot wish away the genuine
problems and issues prevailing in India. We need to work together on pragmatic
long term solutions where alternative employment and source of gratification and
relaxation is first developed before FCTC is implemented in India.
- We believe that education and not legislation is the only remedy. We also believe
that tobacco consumption is a product for the adults and will take all measures to
dissuade minors from consumption of tobaccos.
- WHO should arrange to undertake studies in poor countries like India to determine
and finance the following :
a) Alternative crops for the farmers.
b) Training and development of rural laborers, bidi rollers for alternate occupations.
c) To establish rural based industries and occupations.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
(RAJNIKANT P. PATEL)

Please send e-mail at the following e-mail address:
1) patelrj@ad1.vsnl.in
2) apshah@ad1.vsnl.in