Northern Tobacco Farmers Adapt to Global Tobacco Control Standards, Urge Serious Crackdown on Illicit Cigarettes

Tobacco farming associations in Phrae province, together with national tobacco associations and local biodiversity networks from Chiang Mai Rajabhat University, organized a practical workshop titled "Adaptation and Implementation of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Environmental Standards" at Phrae Nakorn Hotel in Phrae province. More than 140 tobacco farmers, academics, and government officials from northern Thailand attended the event, with Members of Parliament Sirivarn Prasajsatru and Chanadhip Suphsiree present to hear concerns from local tobacco farmers. The workshop facilitated knowledge exchange on tobacco cultivation techniques, soil improvement, crop rotation, environmental conservation, and adapting to global tobacco control policy changes.

The practical workshop aimed to help farmers understand the impacts of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), particularly environmental dimensions, and to prepare them for future international standards and government policies. Farmers learned techniques to improve production efficiency and reduce costs in environmentally sustainable ways, thereby enhancing Thai tobacco standards for international competitiveness.

Prajya Kanthathon, chairman of the Phrae Tobacco Farmers Association, revealed that tobacco cultivation and curing has been a primary livelihood for Phrae residents and northern farmers for generations. However, in recent years farmers have faced severe crises from high and complex tobacco tax policies, which have rapidly expanded illicit cigarette and electronic cigarette problems due to significant price differences, damaging legal products and reducing farmers' incomes from declining tobacco purchase quotas.

"Virginia tobacco varieties have been an important economic crop in Phrae for over 88 years. The growth of the tobacco cultivation and curing industry has not only created jobs and livelihoods for tobacco farmers but has also boosted the broader economy, promoting income distribution and prosperity throughout communities. However, tobacco farmers remain vulnerable players in the system, affected by policy changes and external conditions that drive up production costs such as fuel and fertilizer prices. Today, what we are attempting is learning and adapting in environmental management, resource management, and production standards to sustain our livelihoods. At the same time, tobacco farmers are bearing the direct burden of strict taxation and tobacco control policies. We want the government to see the impacts throughout the supply chain from farms to curing barns to community labor. Beyond legal enforcement, the state must urgently eliminate illicit cigarettes, target the root sources, and provide clear support measures for tobacco farmers to promote alternative crops or substitute livelihoods, including crop rotation and modern technology application at affordable and practical costs. Before implementing new control measures, comprehensive government assistance is essential," Kanthathon stated.