• March 28, 2024

Retaining jobs number one priority at UNITAB Congress in Budapest

Tobacco farmers from 14 countries are due to arrive in Budapestnext week for the 33rd Congress of their European association, UNITAB, at which the main theme will be: Retain the jobs inEurope.

The Congress, which has attracted more than 250 delegates to register, will be held on October 18-20.

On the first day, representatives of farmer associations will give presentations about the state of tobacco production in their respective countries and the Congress will discuss market issues.

The second day will be given over to, among other things, presentations on the likely effects of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Looking forward to the Congress, József Eisler, the secretary of the Hungarian Tobacco Growers’ Association, said that European tobacco farmers were worried about the jobs of 85,000 farmers and those of the more than 400,000 people employed by them.

This concern, he said, stemmed from the fact that European politicians were making a series of decisions that were disadvantageous to tobacco growing without being able to identify any alternative form of livelihood for those involved in tobacco.

ThroughoutEurope, tobacco was produced in regions where no other crop could be grown and unemployment rates were relatively high. There was no alternative to growing tobacco.

Eisler said the organisers of the Congress were hoping they could make European politicians aware that they could not successfully fight smoking through the liquidation of jobs.

The Hungarian Minister of Regional Development, Dr Sándor Fazekas, will receive several delegations from tobacco growing countries during the Congress and a number of politicians are expected to attend the debate on CAP reforms.