Standardised Cigarette Packaging Plan Threatens Future of Temanggung Tobacco Farming
Temanggung Regent Agus Setyawan has voiced his rejection of a plan to standardise tobacco product packaging, which is outlined in a draft Health Ministerial Regulation on the inclusion of health warnings and information on tobacco and electronic cigarette products. He stated that the policy could threaten the sustainability of the tobacco ecosystem that has long supported the economy of the Temanggung community.
The statement was made by Agus while opening a Focus Group Discussion entitled ‘Synergy of Government, Industry, and Farmers in Building a Sustainable National Tobacco Ecosystem’ on Saturday (4/7). ‘There is a lot of unrest among farmers, workers, traders, and manufacturers because they are plagued by regulatory uncertainty, including regarding the derivative rules of Government Regulation No. 28/2024. On behalf of Temanggung Regency, we reject and regret the drafting of this technical regulation. This concerns livelihoods, and tobacco farming in Temanggung will surely end,’ Agus said. He assessed that the ratification of the standardised packaging rule would have a serious impact on thousands of tobacco farmers in the region. ‘Do not let this regulation be passed. It will be a doomsday for us tobacco farmers,’ he stated.
Beyond the substance of the rule, Agus also criticised the drafting process, which he said did not involve business actors and tobacco farmers from the initial stages. He noted that the tobacco community was only invited to discuss the matter after the draft regulation had been completed. ‘The tobacco community is always placed at the very end. This is because every discussion on tobacco regulations is one-sided; the draft document is already finished before we are invited. So, we are not involved from the beginning and only find out at the end,’ he said.
Temanggung Regency is known as one of the national centres for tobacco production. Temanggung tobacco, nicknamed ‘Green Gold’, is cultivated in seven production areas with an annual planting area of around 16,000 to 18,000 hectares and a production output of approximately 12,000 tonnes of dry tobacco.
On the same occasion, the General Chairman of the National Governing Board of the Indonesian Tobacco Farmers Association (DPN APTI), Agus Parmuji, also rejected the standardised packaging plan. He argued that the policy could threaten the economic survival of communities that depend on the tobacco sector. According to him, tobacco in Temanggung not only has economic value but has also become part of the cultural identity of the people in the Mount Sumbing, Mount Sindoro, and Mount Prau areas. ‘It would be a loss to the state if a draft regulation like standardised packaging suppresses local wisdom and causes the pillars of the economy to die because of our own country’s policies. For the people of Temanggung, tobacco is not just a plant, not just cultivation, but an identity, the breath of life, the foundation of society, and an economic investment in rural areas,’ he explained. He added that to date, tobacco remains an irreplaceable commodity in terms of economic value for the people of Temanggung. Therefore, regulations that increasingly restrict the tobacco sector are feared to further narrow the living space of farmers. ‘For a long time, due to regulatory pressures and various draft regulations, the green carpet in Temanggung Regency has gradually been eroded. We firmly reject this draft standardised packaging regulation,’ Agus added.