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Excerpts from: Tobacco industry exploiting labour: Study

By Maya Sharma NDTV [12/20/02]
 
While the ill-effects of tobacco usage have been well-documented, a recent study in India and Bangladesh by PATH Canada has highlighted other problems associated with the industry. These include exploitation of labour and high expenditure on tobacco products by those who cannot afford it.
Karnataka is India's biggest producer of tobacco and the recently released study shows how the cultivation of this crop has been affecting the environment in the state.

"By the government's own estimates in Karnataka, 1,20,000 tonnes of wood is used just for curing. This is in addition to packaging and the forest cleared for nurseries. In a village in Karnataka, about 80 per cent of the forest has been cleared just because of the curing that they do," said Naveen Thomas, OXFAM Fellow.

Women and children are used extensively as labour in this industry. . .

"It was shocking to find that a street child who earns an average monthly income of Rs 900 spends 20 per cent of his income -- as high as Rs 200-250 on tobacco alone. So the tobacco companies are digging deep into the pockets of the poor," added Shoba John.