NEARLY 40 million kilograms of tobacco have been sold since the marketing season opened in February earning the country just over US$121 million.
The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) said 39.1 million kilograms of the golden leaf have gone under the hammer raising US$121.2 million for the liquidity-starved economy.
The volumes delivered are also 8.9 percent better compared to the same period last year.
Prices are averaging US$3.10 per kg, a 9 percent improvement on the comparative period last year.
The TIMB said about 25.5 million kilograms of the crop was sold through the auction system while the balance came from contract arrangements.
The government has also revised upwards the overall production forecast for the season to 86 million kgs from the initial 77 million.
Production of the crop – a key foreign exchange earner for the economy – is recovering have plummeted from peaks of about 200 million kgs over the last decade.
The decline in output has been blamed on the country’s land reforms while the new farmers have not been given adequate technical and financial support to boost production.
May 10, 2010
May 3, 2010
Kids living in apartments with nonsmokers still exposed to smoke
Children who live in apartments are exposed to secondhand smoke, even if they don't live with smokers, a new study has found.
The research from the University of Rochester Medical Center is the first to examine whether housing type is a potential contributor to children's exposure to cigarette smoke.
It has been presented at the Pediatric Academic Society Meeting in Vancouver, Canada.
Among children who lived in an apartment, 84 percent had been exposed to tobacco smoke, according to the level of a biomarker (cotinine) in their blood that indicates exposure to nicotine found in tobacco, and this included more than 9 of 10 African-American and white children. Even among children who lived in detached houses, 70 percent showed evidence of exposure.
"We are starting to understand the role that seepage through walls and through shared ventilation may impact tobacco smoke exposure in apartments," said Karen Wilson, M.D., MPH, author of the study and an assistant professor of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center's Golisano Children's Hospital. "We see that children are being exposed in ways we are not picking up, and it's important, for their health, that we figure out where this exposure is taking place, and work to eliminate it. Multi-unit housing is one potential source, but a very important one."
The study analyzed data from almost 6,000 children between 6- and 18-years-old in a national database (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2006) to see if there was any relationship between their smoke exposure and their housing type. Apartment living was associated with a 45 percent increase in cotinine levels for African American children and a 207 percent increase for white children. About 18 percent of U.S. children live in apartments, and many of these children are living in subsidized housing communities where smoking is more prevalent.
Wilson said many parents are trying to limit their children's tobacco smoke exposure by not allowing smoking in their apartments, but they say they can smell tobacco smoke coming from other apartments or from common areas.
The research from the University of Rochester Medical Center is the first to examine whether housing type is a potential contributor to children's exposure to cigarette smoke.
It has been presented at the Pediatric Academic Society Meeting in Vancouver, Canada.
Among children who lived in an apartment, 84 percent had been exposed to tobacco smoke, according to the level of a biomarker (cotinine) in their blood that indicates exposure to nicotine found in tobacco, and this included more than 9 of 10 African-American and white children. Even among children who lived in detached houses, 70 percent showed evidence of exposure.
"We are starting to understand the role that seepage through walls and through shared ventilation may impact tobacco smoke exposure in apartments," said Karen Wilson, M.D., MPH, author of the study and an assistant professor of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center's Golisano Children's Hospital. "We see that children are being exposed in ways we are not picking up, and it's important, for their health, that we figure out where this exposure is taking place, and work to eliminate it. Multi-unit housing is one potential source, but a very important one."
The study analyzed data from almost 6,000 children between 6- and 18-years-old in a national database (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2006) to see if there was any relationship between their smoke exposure and their housing type. Apartment living was associated with a 45 percent increase in cotinine levels for African American children and a 207 percent increase for white children. About 18 percent of U.S. children live in apartments, and many of these children are living in subsidized housing communities where smoking is more prevalent.
Wilson said many parents are trying to limit their children's tobacco smoke exposure by not allowing smoking in their apartments, but they say they can smell tobacco smoke coming from other apartments or from common areas.
Apr 26, 2010
FDA reviewing whether to ban menthol cigarettes
Federal officials began grappling Tuesday with one of the thorniest issues surrounding the regulation of tobacco: whether to ban menthol, the most popular cigarette flavoring, which is smoked by millions of Americans every day.
The issue carries great importance for public health advocates and tobacco executives. But it also has racial implications, since menthol cigarettes are overwhelmingly popular among African Americans.
A scientific advisory panel that will advise the Food and Drug Administration on regulating tobacco opened a two-day meeting Tuesday and began reviewing hundreds of published studies on menthol cigarettes. The panel, largely made up of scientists, physicians and public health experts, has a year to make a recommendation to the FDA on menthol cigarettes, which are used by about 26 percent of smokers and make up almost one-third of the $70 billion U.S. cigarette market.
Menthol cigarettes are especially popular among young smokers. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 62 percent of middle-school students who smoke begin with menthol cigarettes, whose minty taste can mask the harshness of tobacco.
About 75 percent of African American smokers use menthol brands, and tobacco companies heavily advertise menthol products in black communities and media.
Many African American smokers view menthol cigarettes as "soothing" and "smooth," and less harsh and dangerous than regular cigarettes, according to a 2008 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But there is no evidence that menthol cigarettes are less lethal than regular cigarettes. Although African Americans smoke fewer cigarettes compared with white smokers, they have higher rates of lung cancer, stroke and other tobacco-related diseases.
"When you peel away the layers, this is an economic issue for the tobacco industry," said William S. Robinson, executive director of the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network, which wants the FDA to ban menthol cigarettes. "We're talking about $18 billion a year; that's a serious hit for them," Robinson said in an interview.
When Congress passed a historic law last year that gave the FDA the power to regulate tobacco, it also banned candy and spice flavorings such as chocolate and clove, saying cigarette makers used those products to hook youngsters into a lifetime addiction. But it exempted menthol from the ban, saying it wanted the FDA to study the issue and report by 2012 whether restrictions on it would serve the public health.
That prompted a letter of protest to Congress from seven former U.S. health secretaries, who said that allowing menthol-cigarette sales to continue would "trample the health" of African Americans. They called it a "loophole big enough for a herd of wild animals to romp through."
Lorillard, which makes Newport, the country's most popular brand of menthol cigarettes, said in a statement Tuesday that menthol cigarettes are no more dangerous to health than standard cigarettes. "Menthol, obviously, has been used for decades in food, drink, cosmetics and other products," the company said. "And the science is clear and compelling that there is no differing health risk between menthol and non-menthol products. With respect to public health, using the best methods available to science, it is clear a menthol cigarette is just another cigarette and should be treated no differently."
But the scientific advisory panel has not yet reached that conclusion, and it spent Tuesday listening to FDA staff members present their review of 343 research papers on menthol cigarettes, published between 1921 and 2009.
Under the law passed last year, the FDA can demand for the first time internal studies and data from the tobacco industry. One of the advisory panel's goals during its first meeting is to determine what additional information it will request from the industry.
Robinson said that could be key in settling the debate about whether menthol poses a particular danger to public health.
"We still have questions about the role of menthol, regarding initiation of smoking and continued addiction and difficulty in quitting," he said. "Under this new law, the industry has to turn over documents at a level that's unprecedented. They have to share their scientific information. When we begin to know what they know, hopefully that will lead to a ban on menthol products."
The issue carries great importance for public health advocates and tobacco executives. But it also has racial implications, since menthol cigarettes are overwhelmingly popular among African Americans.
A scientific advisory panel that will advise the Food and Drug Administration on regulating tobacco opened a two-day meeting Tuesday and began reviewing hundreds of published studies on menthol cigarettes. The panel, largely made up of scientists, physicians and public health experts, has a year to make a recommendation to the FDA on menthol cigarettes, which are used by about 26 percent of smokers and make up almost one-third of the $70 billion U.S. cigarette market.
Menthol cigarettes are especially popular among young smokers. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 62 percent of middle-school students who smoke begin with menthol cigarettes, whose minty taste can mask the harshness of tobacco.
About 75 percent of African American smokers use menthol brands, and tobacco companies heavily advertise menthol products in black communities and media.
Many African American smokers view menthol cigarettes as "soothing" and "smooth," and less harsh and dangerous than regular cigarettes, according to a 2008 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But there is no evidence that menthol cigarettes are less lethal than regular cigarettes. Although African Americans smoke fewer cigarettes compared with white smokers, they have higher rates of lung cancer, stroke and other tobacco-related diseases.
"When you peel away the layers, this is an economic issue for the tobacco industry," said William S. Robinson, executive director of the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network, which wants the FDA to ban menthol cigarettes. "We're talking about $18 billion a year; that's a serious hit for them," Robinson said in an interview.
When Congress passed a historic law last year that gave the FDA the power to regulate tobacco, it also banned candy and spice flavorings such as chocolate and clove, saying cigarette makers used those products to hook youngsters into a lifetime addiction. But it exempted menthol from the ban, saying it wanted the FDA to study the issue and report by 2012 whether restrictions on it would serve the public health.
That prompted a letter of protest to Congress from seven former U.S. health secretaries, who said that allowing menthol-cigarette sales to continue would "trample the health" of African Americans. They called it a "loophole big enough for a herd of wild animals to romp through."
Lorillard, which makes Newport, the country's most popular brand of menthol cigarettes, said in a statement Tuesday that menthol cigarettes are no more dangerous to health than standard cigarettes. "Menthol, obviously, has been used for decades in food, drink, cosmetics and other products," the company said. "And the science is clear and compelling that there is no differing health risk between menthol and non-menthol products. With respect to public health, using the best methods available to science, it is clear a menthol cigarette is just another cigarette and should be treated no differently."
But the scientific advisory panel has not yet reached that conclusion, and it spent Tuesday listening to FDA staff members present their review of 343 research papers on menthol cigarettes, published between 1921 and 2009.
Under the law passed last year, the FDA can demand for the first time internal studies and data from the tobacco industry. One of the advisory panel's goals during its first meeting is to determine what additional information it will request from the industry.
Robinson said that could be key in settling the debate about whether menthol poses a particular danger to public health.
"We still have questions about the role of menthol, regarding initiation of smoking and continued addiction and difficulty in quitting," he said. "Under this new law, the industry has to turn over documents at a level that's unprecedented. They have to share their scientific information. When we begin to know what they know, hopefully that will lead to a ban on menthol products."
Apr 20, 2010
Ghana Must Show Greater Commitment to Tobacco Control
Accra — A team led by Dr. Ahmed E. Ogwell Ouma from the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was in Ghana last week to assess the country's level of implementation of provisions of the convention.
The team met with the media and the Civil Society Coalition on Tobacco Control among others. What came up during these meetings clearly indicates that Ghana, one of the 40 countries that took the lead in ratifying the Convention, has done very little in ensuring the implementation of the Convention.
In the first place, as it may have become common knowledge now, the country is yet to pass the Tobacco Control Bill into law in spite of the glut of advocacy by civil society on same. Different stories keep coming up as to where the bill actually is at the moment. Rumours have it that the delay is because government does not intend passing the bill in isolation but as part of the law on public health.
The fact that the law has not been passed, means that the country is lagging far behind in operationalizing key articles of the treaty.
Article 11 for instance says that after three years of the coming into force of the convention, member countries shall adopt and implement laws to ensure that tobacco product packaging and labeling do not promote the product by any means. Same article also calls for bolder and clearer health warnings on the packages.
As reported on page three of this paper, the country has failed to honour its obligations under the treaty on several fronts in spite of the fact that it ratified the Convention in 2004 and adopted it in 2005.
The situation is a source of worry for the leader of the team from the WHO, Dr. Ogwell Ouma. He told Civil Society Organizations working on Tobacco Control that his team was in Ghana because of the 'good name' the country has earned for itself internationally. He however expressed misgivings that if Civil Society and indeed government do not step up their efforts, the goodwill could wane.
Tobacco, as it has been shown by health experts, is depriving the world of significant numbers of its people. Nations, including Ghana, are losing a lot of their human resource to tobacco-induced deadly cancers and other complications associated with the use of the substance. It is argued that the cost of treating tobacco related sicknesses far outweighs the income governments make from the tobacco trade.
It is for these and other reasons that Public Agenda adds it voice to the many calls for the government of Ghana to pass the Tobacco Control Bill into law, without further delay, and to ensure that Ghanaians are saved the health hazards associated with tobacco use. The country needs every single one of its human resource; none of that should be lost through tobacco related diseases.
The team met with the media and the Civil Society Coalition on Tobacco Control among others. What came up during these meetings clearly indicates that Ghana, one of the 40 countries that took the lead in ratifying the Convention, has done very little in ensuring the implementation of the Convention.
In the first place, as it may have become common knowledge now, the country is yet to pass the Tobacco Control Bill into law in spite of the glut of advocacy by civil society on same. Different stories keep coming up as to where the bill actually is at the moment. Rumours have it that the delay is because government does not intend passing the bill in isolation but as part of the law on public health.
The fact that the law has not been passed, means that the country is lagging far behind in operationalizing key articles of the treaty.
Article 11 for instance says that after three years of the coming into force of the convention, member countries shall adopt and implement laws to ensure that tobacco product packaging and labeling do not promote the product by any means. Same article also calls for bolder and clearer health warnings on the packages.
As reported on page three of this paper, the country has failed to honour its obligations under the treaty on several fronts in spite of the fact that it ratified the Convention in 2004 and adopted it in 2005.
The situation is a source of worry for the leader of the team from the WHO, Dr. Ogwell Ouma. He told Civil Society Organizations working on Tobacco Control that his team was in Ghana because of the 'good name' the country has earned for itself internationally. He however expressed misgivings that if Civil Society and indeed government do not step up their efforts, the goodwill could wane.
Tobacco, as it has been shown by health experts, is depriving the world of significant numbers of its people. Nations, including Ghana, are losing a lot of their human resource to tobacco-induced deadly cancers and other complications associated with the use of the substance. It is argued that the cost of treating tobacco related sicknesses far outweighs the income governments make from the tobacco trade.
It is for these and other reasons that Public Agenda adds it voice to the many calls for the government of Ghana to pass the Tobacco Control Bill into law, without further delay, and to ensure that Ghanaians are saved the health hazards associated with tobacco use. The country needs every single one of its human resource; none of that should be lost through tobacco related diseases.
Apr 15, 2010
Indonesia takes U.S. to WTO over clove cigarette ban
Like many trade disputes, this one involves health standards and whether they are being abused for protectionist purposes. It centers on the clove and tobacco blends known as kretek that dominate the tobacco market in Indonesia but are little smoked outside the Southeast Asian country.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned cigarettes with fruit, confectionery or clove flavors last September, arguing such cigarettes were particularly attractive to children.
But the U.S. ban does not include flavored cigarettes that are produced widely in the United States and smoked by about 19 million Americans.
Indonesia argues that discriminates against foreign producers of flavored tobacco to help domestic manufacturers.
"They have to prove that menthol doesn't have a bad impact," said the official, who asked not to be identified.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative's Office said U.S. officials were studying Indonesia's request for consultations, which comes as the two countries have been taking steps to boost trade and investment ties.
President Barack Obama abruptly canceled a trip to Indonesia in March to lobby for healthcare reform, but is expected to visit the country this year.
MENTHOL YES, CLOVES NO
U.S. tobacco companies told the FDA on March 31 that adding menthol did not make cigarettes more harmful or addictive [ID:nN31100715].
Under WTO rules, the two countries now have 60 days to resolve their differences through consultations, otherwise Indonesia can ask the WTO to create a panel of experts to rule on the issue.
The case is only the fifth brought at the WTO by Indonesia, the world's 21st biggest exporter.
Kretek cigarettes account for the bulk of tobacco consumption in Indonesia, the world's fifth biggest tobacco market, although unflavored or "white" sticks are gaining in popularity.
Indonesian exports of cigarettes and cigars totaled $357.8 million in 2008, the last year for which data is available.
Only relatively small numbers of kretek cigarettes are exported, and anecdotally they are coveted by young people in the United States who see them as an alternative to more conventional brands.
Foreign tobacco producers, keen to gain a bigger share of expanding markets for cigarettes in emerging economies, have been buying up Indonesian manufacturers to acquire kretek brands and expertise and build on the potential for white stick sales.
Last June, the world's No. 2 cigarette maker, British American Tobacco, bought an 85 percent stake in Indonesia's fourth largest cigarette maker by volume, PT Bentoel Internasional Investama.
Philip Morris International acquired the majority of Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna in 2005. Other Indonesian manufacturers include Gudang Garam and unlisted conglomerate Djarum.
Supervising the consultations with Indonesia will be one of the first tasks of the new U.S. ambassador to the WTO, Michael Punke, whose Senate confirmation was held up for six months by a Republican senator from the tobacco-growing state of Kentucky.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned cigarettes with fruit, confectionery or clove flavors last September, arguing such cigarettes were particularly attractive to children.
But the U.S. ban does not include flavored cigarettes that are produced widely in the United States and smoked by about 19 million Americans.
Indonesia argues that discriminates against foreign producers of flavored tobacco to help domestic manufacturers.
"They have to prove that menthol doesn't have a bad impact," said the official, who asked not to be identified.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative's Office said U.S. officials were studying Indonesia's request for consultations, which comes as the two countries have been taking steps to boost trade and investment ties.
President Barack Obama abruptly canceled a trip to Indonesia in March to lobby for healthcare reform, but is expected to visit the country this year.
MENTHOL YES, CLOVES NO
U.S. tobacco companies told the FDA on March 31 that adding menthol did not make cigarettes more harmful or addictive [ID:nN31100715].
Under WTO rules, the two countries now have 60 days to resolve their differences through consultations, otherwise Indonesia can ask the WTO to create a panel of experts to rule on the issue.
The case is only the fifth brought at the WTO by Indonesia, the world's 21st biggest exporter.
Kretek cigarettes account for the bulk of tobacco consumption in Indonesia, the world's fifth biggest tobacco market, although unflavored or "white" sticks are gaining in popularity.
Indonesian exports of cigarettes and cigars totaled $357.8 million in 2008, the last year for which data is available.
Only relatively small numbers of kretek cigarettes are exported, and anecdotally they are coveted by young people in the United States who see them as an alternative to more conventional brands.
Foreign tobacco producers, keen to gain a bigger share of expanding markets for cigarettes in emerging economies, have been buying up Indonesian manufacturers to acquire kretek brands and expertise and build on the potential for white stick sales.
Last June, the world's No. 2 cigarette maker, British American Tobacco, bought an 85 percent stake in Indonesia's fourth largest cigarette maker by volume, PT Bentoel Internasional Investama.
Philip Morris International acquired the majority of Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna in 2005. Other Indonesian manufacturers include Gudang Garam and unlisted conglomerate Djarum.
Supervising the consultations with Indonesia will be one of the first tasks of the new U.S. ambassador to the WTO, Michael Punke, whose Senate confirmation was held up for six months by a Republican senator from the tobacco-growing state of Kentucky.
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