Plain Cigarette Packaging Polemic Without Brand, APTI: The Ministry Of Health's Narrative Is Unfounded, Tobacco Farmers Are Affected By Negative Impacts

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The brandless plain cigarette packaging policy that is being considered in the Draft Minister of Health Regulation (RPMK) has caused widespread polemics among tobacco industries and farmers throughout Indonesia.

In the midst of this flood of criticism, the Regional Leadership Council of the Association of Indonesian Tobacco Farmers (DPD APTI) West Java, Nana Suryana firmly expressed her rejection of the policy.

"We absolutely reject this concept. The government wants to be instrumental in implementing this regulation, but unfortunately the policy is actually detrimental to tobacco farmers. The negative impact will be felt throughout the year if the government is consistent with this regulation," he told the media, quoted Thursday, October 10.

One of the main points of this rejection is the concern that the policy will have a negative impact on the sustainability of national tobacco farming.

Nana Suryana explained that the application of plain, brandless cigarette packaging would harm tobacco farmers because tobacco prices would fluctuate and be unstable, depending on the demand for cigarette factories influenced by this policy.

"Losses will continue throughout the year if the government is consistent and committed to this regulation," he added.

He also highlighted that although the government, especially the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) led by Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin, often puts forward a narrative that tobacco farmers and cloves can switch to planting other plants, in reality it is not as easy as imagined.

"Tobacco farmers will not simply switch to other plants if the results are not proportional to tobacco. They will still choose plants that provide better income," he said.

In addition, he added that the welfare of tobacco farmers has been very good so far. However, this fact is often reversed and ignored in the anti-tembakau narrative brought by the Ministry of Health and the health NGO. "The narrative that tobacco farmers are not prosperous is just a classic reason. When compared to other commodities, the welfare of tobacco farmers in the field is actually much better," explained Suryana.

Similarly, the Head of APTI Rembang, Akhmad Sayuti, also voiced his rejection of the policy of plain cigarette packaging. According to him, the policy not only harms tobacco farmers, but can also cause uncertainty in the tobacco market which has an impact on tobacco prices received by farmers.

"This regulation will be very detrimental to tobacco farmers. A manufacturer that usually buys tobacco at a varied price based on the quality and grade of tobacco will be confused if the packaging is plain. Prices can go down because there is no grade identity, so purchases from farmers can go any way," explained Sayuti.

Sayuti also expressed her concern that this regulation could trigger an increase in the circulation of illegal tobacco products, which would further harm the national tobacco industry.

"We are worried that the large number of cigarette products that are not branded, whose tobacco quality is unclear, will damage the legal tobacco market," he said.

In the context of socio-economics, Sayuti emphasized that this regulation has the potential to destroy the tobacco farming sector, which has been the main source of livelihood for many farmers in Rembang and Central Java.

"If the cigarette industry is affected, automatically purchasing tobacco from farmers will also decrease. This will have a direct impact on the welfare of tobacco farmers. In Rembang, many farmers depend on tobacco, especially during the dry season, where tobacco is the most profitable commodity," he added.

He also questioned the narrative stating that tobacco farmers and cloves were not prosperous. According to him, this is a big mistake because in many areas, including Rembang, tobacco is known as "green gold" because it provides high income for farmers.

"We wonder why tobacco farmers are always discriminated against. In fact, the contribution of Tobacco Product Excise (CHT) to the country is very large, even most of them enter the health sector. They prohibit tobacco, but receive excise results," saiduti criticized.