Denying Fairtrade tobacco is to ignore the elephant in the room
Following last month's article on ethically-sourced cigarettes, here Andre Rieksts of Akwesasne Mohawk Trading LLC puts his side of the story
FAIRTRADE Mark
When we began this project over five years ago, we had a vision of doing something dramatically different within the industry of tobacco. Where I live, on an Indian Reservation in the US, tobacco manufacturing is an accepted way of making a living. There is no real social stigma against tobacco. It has been part of our culture forever ceremonially. We considered growing our own tobacco but the reservation is too small as is common with most reservations. We then looked to the outside. It became obvious to us that there were many global sources for tobacco.
When we looked at Malawi it became clear. There was a country that was a major producer of tobacco, almost all of which is exported and many of its other crops and farmers are already Fairtrade-certified. We had the chance to help Malawian farmers receive a fair price, improving their lives and helping them to diversify to other crops and to also create more employment among Natives on our reservation-a win/win situation.
We approached several organizations to see about getting this tobacco and our product Fairtrade-certified but were told there were no standards nor were any going to be considered in the near future. The decision was made to go it alone and develop our own standards and practices and implement our own agreements for price, quality, payments, premiums, etc.
The farmers I met with while in Malawi early in this process were very enthusiastic and hopeful for our success. No one was looking for a hand out, they just wanted to be treated fairly and with respect. Tobacco farmers I met with are not the same affluent type of farmers that grow tobacco in the US. Though they grow the same crop as American farmers, the price they are paid is very low - barely enough to survive on.
The first purchase we made generated enough premium to purchase a mobile nut shelling machine thus enabling farmers to speed up a process that if done previously was only done by hand. Since it is mobile, many farmers can share in the equipment. We look forward to being successful so that we can carry out many such projects.
As far as accreditation for tobacco, if organizations are going to certify everything BUT tobacco, they are truly ignoring the elephant in the room. In a country such as Malawi, tobacco accounts for 70% of the country’s entire export revenue.
An interesting thought about marketing. I am sure that when the UK advertising ban went into effect no one considered the unintentional consequence of protecting major companies market share. As an example, most everyone knows the names Benson & Hedges, Lambert & Butler, Marlboro etc. Those brands still sell just fine. Unfortunately, when a brand such as ours comes out with what we think is a truly innovative new product - how does anyone know? We are prevented from any communication that could be construed as advertising in any way. This type of a situation really protects the established brands and does nothing to promote competition or innovation.
In closing, I wish to say that we are very proud of what we have created, the UK’s first ethically sourced cigarette. One that can help disadvantaged farmers in Malawi and Native American Indians. It is not our intention to attract new smokers but to offer existing smokers of other brands an alternative that provides real economic advantage to the tobacco growers and processors. I wish to use the quote of your own article, “Smoking kills, but so does poverty.”
Sincerely, Andre Rieksts
Akwesasne Mohawk Trading LLC, Producer of 1st-nation cigarettes
Catch up with what other students are saying on the web forum.