In the shadow of the tobacco plant

Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, is surrounded by
Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia in southern Africa. Covering an area
of 120,000 km2, which represents one third of Germany, home to nearly
12 million people.
Economically and socially, the country is in the rear field of
international statistics.The share of agriculture in gross domestic
product exceeds 50 percent and thus forms the largest part of the
population of their livelihood. In addition to cotton, peanuts and
coffee is grown mainly tobacco. The tobacco industry employs about 1.6
million people in Malawi.
The starting point for the tobacco boom is to be sought in the 1960s,
when the World Bank promoted the expansion of tobacco cultivation with
extensive credits.Since then, the tobacco acreage in Malawi more than
doubled. Today achieve tobacco products accounted for nearly 60
percent to Malawi's export earnings. The euphoria of the 1960s is long
gone, the dream of many farmers for a better future as well.

Vicious cycle of dependency
Tobacco growing is a physically demanding and time-consuming work.
Once the tobacco leaves can be offered for sale, small farmers behind
every half a year of work, effort and financial resources. The money
for seed, fertilizer, pesticides and agricultural implements have to
borrow most of the tobacco growers in order to even start with the
cultivation. But for the farmers least be worth the investment.
Because with the proceeds of their harvest, they can usually only
repay their loan and keep the remaining cash just above water. Other
farmers, however, can not even pay their debts and need to add more
credits to secure the food for their family until the next planting.
The fact that most farmers are contracted by tobacco companies
concentrated their activities even more. They must commit themselves
to relate the utensils, such as seed and fertilizer as well as their
loans directly from the tobacco company. Then there is the condition,
the harvest to sell only to them. Due to these factors, they quickly
fall into the dependence of the tobacco companies. Only a few manage
to get rid of this vicious circle. Other hand, advised other small
farmers who can no longer repay their loans, deeper and deeper into a
financial distress.Average stay of each cigarette pack sold in Germany
leaves three cents for the small farmers.
Other tobacco planters can be recruited as tenants on tobacco
plantations. These small farmers expect to gain by including access to
agricultural capital goods, which could be achieved under subsistence
conditions are very difficult. A lease may be terminated after each
growing season by the owner or manager. The tenants then have no
security for the future. The harvested tobacco leaves are divided into
twelve different quality levels and associated price levels. The
decision on the classification of tobacco lies solely in the hands of
managers and owners. The crofters have thereby maintain no guarantee
profits. Mostly cover the harvest proceeds just the cost of
pre-stretched resources. These tenants are working exclusively in the
growing season to maintain their minimum living standards.
The families often live in small houses and narrow without access to a
latrine or other sanitary facilities. In the country there are the
houses of the peasants from mud walls and a thatched roof. The
dwellings of tenants on plantations mainly consist only of posts with
a thatched roof over it and cover about ten square meters. Due to the
often short duration of stay on a plantation houses only for a limited
period are designed. The tenant must usually also for the provision of
grass and posts taxes paid to the plantation. On a regulated water
supply has only a fraction of the families in the country. The main
water resources are in most cases, water holes, streams or rivers
where the water is seldom in good sanitary condition. Only to large
companies, there is a drinking fountain.

Childhood in the field
The shadow of the tobacco industry also have an impact particularly on
the lives of children. Many children - if ever - going to school only
a few years. In Malawi, go up to 90 percent of children irregularly or
not at the school. You must help the parents to the tobacco fields or
earn extra money and so have no time for school. A higher education is
denied to them inevitably leads to the fact that they can not engage
in higher-paying jobs and also have to hire out as small farmers, day
laborers or farm workers. Children are particularly vulnerable to the
health consequences of working in the tobacco fields. The contact of
skin with wet tobacco leaves, nicotine is transmitted, which can lead
to serious consequences in children than in adults. This disease,
whose symptoms include nausea, headache, vertigo and fluctuation of
blood pressure and pulse, called Green Tobacco Sickness (GTS).
Children deserve despite unrestricted workload as a laborer, only half
of adult men.
In adults and in children there is a risk to be poisoned by the
pesticides sprayed.Pesticides are used, among other things against
nematodes (roundworms) and against the so-called "Bushy Tops disease",
which is transmitted by aphids and causes genetic damage to the
immature tobacco plant. Since farmers do not afford protection to
clothing, they go into health risk. Poisoning, allergies, heart
disease or fertility problems, the consequences of his untrained
dealing with a tobacco plant.Since missing, particularly in rural
areas, the medical infrastructure, carrying a large number of farmers
from damages, which can also be deadly. The medical treatments can not
afford most of those affected. Many people in Malawi to reach the 40th
Not age.
Contrary to positive forecasts of the 1960s, the Malawi tobacco has
not brought wealth. By the reorientation of the farmers of food crops
for tobacco cultivation also results in a nutritional problem. The
people of Malawi will be deprived of their livelihood. An ecologically
and socially sustainable development appears to tobacco farming in
Malawi is not possible.

NEW DIOCESE OF MALAWI

ROM / Karonga, Malawi, 21 July 2010 () .- The Church is alive -
especially in Africa where it is always the foundation of new
religious administrative units necessary. So this is also done in
Malawi on Wednesday: Pope Benedict XVI established a new diocese in
the southeastern African country, which has now increased the total
number of dioceses in the country to eight.
Malawi has a population of around 15.4 million, including at least 80
percent of Christians, one of the smaller countries in Africa and in
the absence of prominent tourist attractions and not so well known. It
lies between Tanzania in the north, Mozambique and Zambia in the south
west.
The new diocese in the southeastern states Karonga Malawi and goes
forth from the territory of the diocese of Mzuzu, which belongs to the
Ecclesiastical Province of Blantyre. It covers an area of 14,000
square kilometers, with about 400,000 inhabitants, of whom 61 000
Catholics. The Diocese of Karonga has five parishes, in which nine
diocesan priests do their duty, supported by six religious priests,
five brothers, 40 nuns and 38 catechists. The St. Mary's Cathedral
Church of Karonga is now.
The first is Martin Bishop Anwel Mtumbuka, who belongs to the diocesan
clergy of Mzuzu. Mtumbuka Bishop, 52, was rector of the Catholic
University of Malawi. Martin was born in 1957 in Anwel Mtumbuka
Majimbula village. At 31 July 1988 he was ordained a priest. Besides
his work as vicar of the cathedral, he has also worked in diocesan
minor seminaries. As a new pastor, he will be confronted with a
variety of pastoral and social problems of his country in its eventful
history also repeats clergy brought about political change.
From independence in 1964 until 1993 was the former British colony of
Nyasaland a dictatorship until 1994 saw the first free elections,
after a referendum last year. This development was initiated by a
pastoral letter from six Catholic bishops. The following year, a new
constitution. Main export product is tobacco. This means that the weal
and woe of the predominantly rural population depends on the
fluctuating world market price thereof. Droughts weaken agriculture in
addition - with shortages and malnutrition as a consequence.
In the fields, the visitor sees, especially women, stooping and
exceptionally hard working. Although the young Constitution provides
equal rights, but they are relevant to support the family and
household, and education also responsible. As high power requirements
are so low is the level of education: Sixty percent of women can read
or write. This had been fatal, because we had issues about AIDS is a
long time to learn anything orally, finally, this was a taboo in times
of dictatorship.
It was late, it was possible some church institutions to come up with
prevention programs in the villages. Now talk priests and officers in
the base communities on the sensitive subject of AIDS, the disease
that claimed too many victims in Malawi.

Smoking destroys the forest and widespread environmental toxins

Please note that the message the state of things at the time of its publication reflects on 10/06/2011. Any change in the meantime, issues remain unconsidered.

Tobacco is responsible for large-scale deforestation in Latin America and Africa. As the Greenpeace magazine reports in its latest issue, harms of cigarette consumption, especially Africa's largest tobacco producer Malawi. There are whole areas cleared for years. In the center and southeast of the country, particularly the effects were dramatic, says the Malawian journalist Kondwani Munthali. "The dwindling forest cover and change the climate, the rivers seep into the ground barren."
The small Malawi is the fifth largest tobacco producer in the world and is an example for the destruction of nature by growing tobacco, which takes place in many other African countries. About 85 percent of global tobacco production comes from developing and threshold countries.

Since in the African producing countries usually lack of transport networks and money for gas, oil and coal are nearly 62 percent of the world's harvested tobacco leaves with dried wood. According to the German Cancer Research Center, more than eight kilograms of wood are needed to kilo one of the bright Virginia tobacco to dry. In Malawi are cleared mainly for the hard and good combustible forest trees.

In a statement to the Greenpeace Magazine, referring to the "Marlboro" producer Philip Morris for large reforestation programs. Since 2001 had been planted on behalf of the company more than 75 million trees in Malawi. According to the company Philip Morris is the main consumer of tobacco from the East African country.

But environmental damage caused not only the cultivation of tobacco. The filter tip that is left after smoking, contain numerous toxins from cigarette smoke. According to the Federal Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) already reaches a cigarette butt to contaminate ground water of 40 liters. "The toxic cigarette butts should be treated as hazardous waste," so called Martina Poetschke-Langer of the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg.

Source: Greenpeace Magazine

EU and U.S. are threatened by lawsuits for illegal agricultural subsidies

The international development organization Oxfam accuses the EU and U.S. to subsidize the production of various foods illegal. The producers of corn, rice, sorghum, fruit juice, canned fruit, tomatoes, dairy products, tobacco and wine would be supported annually with 9,3 (USA) or 4.2 billion dollars, according to a report released on Wednesday the organization. As a result, 38 developing countries were suffering from unfair competition, including major countries such as Mexico and Brazil, as well as poor countries like Malawi and Mozambique.

Oxfam's study concludes that violate the EU and the U.S., the agreement of the World Trade Organization WTO Subsidies and Countervailing Measures. The subsidies are either prohibited because they would be paid only for the use of domestic products over imported products, or they constitute actionable because it exports from developing countries, repressed, oppressed, and the market prices of other industrial countries damaged.

The development organization warned that the EU and the U.S. threatened a wave of commercial claims, if they are not committed lobbied for a fair world trade agreements. Developing countries remains no other choice but to reach equitable trade rules, Oxfam said. The organization relies on information "leading legal experts," an effort to which the affected developing countries in WTO multiple cases against the EU and the U.S. and could win.

"The WTO dispute that the EU lost on sugar and the U.S. lost on cotton subsidies are just the tip of an iceberg," said Phil Bloomer, head of Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign. Oxfam is not opposed to all subsidies, but the organization had always said that the worst lead to dumping. "Now we know that many of these subsidies are not only unfair but also unlawful."

The procedure proposed by the WTO dispute mechanism for the sizing of Oxfam criticized as' expensive and complicated. " It may therefore only as a last resort in question. "The way to reform the world trade in terms of development, should carry on the negotiating table, not in the courtroom," Bloomer requested.

But do the rich countries at the current WTO talks not enough criticized Oxfam. The EU and the U.S. would require in the "peace clause" even immunity against such litigation. Oxfam rejected this demand. On the contrary, the EU and the U.S. would implement the provisions which they had already signed. Applicants would also have further offers to cut their subsidies and open their markets to offer the developing countries. Otherwise, developing countries should reject their proposals, Oxfam recommended.

Oxfam called on EU and U.S., the payment of prohibited subsidies - whose payout is bound to contain a certain proportion of "local products" - set. They should reduce their support by more than they have offered so far and accept additional disciplines on subsidies that remain. The U.S. should stop all distorting support for cotton and the EU until 2010 to abolish all export their support.

Previous Oxfam research concluded that most of the EU and U.S. subsidies would be paid to the largest farms and the farmers were mostly left out. Subsidies should be reformed so that they support smaller farmers, rural development and environmental protection benefits, called for the organization.

tobacco from Malawi

Industry and trade information on tobacco from Malawi. Agricultural, industrial and commercial information is in the process of being compiled on the subject.