Farmers Fear Standardised Packaging Will Kill Tobacco Development Prospects

Tobacco farmers in West Java have expressed concern over the push for standardised cigarette packaging contained in the Draft Minister of Health Regulation (RPMK) on the Inclusion of Health Warnings and Information on Tobacco Products and Electronic Cigarettes. One tobacco farmer in Tasikmalaya, West Java, Enjan, believes the proposed standardised packaging will kill off the potential of tobacco in Tasikmalaya, which is currently developing. Since 2024, the expansion of tobacco farming land in Tasikmalaya has begun to stir, with significant increases in two sub-districts, namely Tamansari and Kawalu. He said that while tobacco potential in Tasikmalaya is growing, the push for standardised packaging will hit the prospects and development of the very promising tobacco farming sector. “What farmers need now is empowerment and protection, including human resource capacity building and assistance with production facilities and infrastructure. Not being burdened with additional draft regulations that further pressure us. It’s not just companies or the industry that will suffer the consequences; we farmers will also be affected,” Enjan said in a statement on Wednesday (8/7/2026). West Java is one of the country’s important tobacco production centres. The province has 14 superior local tobacco varieties that have been released by the Ministry of Agriculture. West Java even has ‘mole’, a superior commodity from Sumedang Regency, which has been registered as a Geographical Indication (GI) certified commodity with the Ministry of Law and Human Rights. Currently, an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 families depend on the tobacco sector in West Java for their livelihoods. Enjan added that farmers are also worried that illegal cigarettes will become increasingly rampant if the standardised packaging regulation is implemented, especially considering the standardisation of font, shape, and packaging colour using Pantone 448C so as not to be covered by the excise tape. “How will people be able to easily distinguish the cigarettes they want to buy if the packaging is uniform? Instead, they will be surrounded by many illegal cigarettes. Illegal cigarette producers will celebrate because their cigarettes will be easy to imitate and distribute. We cannot remain silent about this draft regulation,” Enjan said. Separately, the Head of the Industrial Relations Institutional Working Group at the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower, Meynar Kusumo, stated that relentless regulatory pressure on the tobacco products industry (IHT), both fiscal and non-fiscal, creates vulnerability for workers. “We recommend not regulating too strictly, including standardised packaging. And it is important to develop an economic mitigation strategy,” Meynar said. He stressed that the IHT, with its ecosystem from upstream to downstream, absorbs 6 million workers and is crucial in supporting efforts to pursue the 8 percent economic growth target. “This IHT is a big deal. The IHT contributes about 10 percent of state revenue to the state budget through excise. The most important task now is how we can pursue 8 percent economic growth, with synergy from all parties, including the industry, its workers, and the regulations. This is our concern,” Meynar said.