Polish tobacco growers are increasingly voicing their opposition to recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and proposed changes to the EU’s TED tax directive. On November 3, farmers protested in Warsaw against proposals they say threaten thousands of jobs and could lead to the shutdown of tobacco cultivation in Poland, one of the largest producers in the European Union. They are urging the government to defend the sector on the international stage.
“We aim to ensure that the Polish government is not passive in the face of WHO’s highly negative recommendations for the tobacco sector, particularly regarding tobacco cultivation. WHO seeks to phase out tobacco growing, which threatens jobs, traditions, and the generations of effort Polish growers have put into producing such high-quality tobacco,” said Przemysław Noworyta, Director of the Polish Tobacco Growers’ Association, in a statement to the Newseria news agency.
On November 3, tobacco growers and processors gathered in Warsaw and submitted a petition to the Prime Minister’s Office calling for a clear stance against the policies of both WHO and the European Commission.
Later this month, in Geneva, the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP-11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) will take place, where recommendations for limiting the production, trade, and promotion of tobacco will be discussed. According to WHO documents, member states are encouraged to gradually phase out tobacco cultivation, withdraw government support for the sector, and impose additional economic restrictions.
The industry also opposes the European Commission’s draft TED tax directive, which proposes extending excise tax to raw tobacco leaves. The new rules would broaden the EU’s definition of “excise tobacco” to include not only finished products but also raw, dried tobacco leaves before industrial processing. In practice, this would mean that farmers and purchasing companies would have to pay excise duty already at the agricultural production stage.
“Dried but unprocessed leaves would be subject to similar excise tax as manufactured tobacco products. This would be extremely dangerous, even devastating, for processors who are our buyers, as such tax burdens would simply destroy them,” said Leszek Kwiatkowski, President of the Polish Tobacco Growers’ Association.
“Another issue is the drastic increase—by several dozen percent—in excise security requirements for purchasing companies. If a company currently has an annual excise security of about PLN 5 million, under the EU’s proposal this would rise to PLN 300 million per year. This is unaffordable for small, family-run businesses,” added Bartłomiej Larwa from the Youth Tobacco Growers’ Movement “Tytoń z Polski”.
Growers stress that the proposals from both WHO and Brussels are unacceptable. The appeal to the government was signed by the Polish Tobacco Growers’ Association, the National Tobacco Organization, the Youth Growers’ Movement “Tytoń z Polski”, and the Łuków Tobacco Growers’ Union, among others. The joint statement underlines that Poland, as a global leader in high-quality tobacco for tobacco products, may become one of the biggest losers if these WHO and EU decisions are implemented.
The petition, submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office, refers among other things to the upcoming WHO FCTC COP-11 conference in Geneva. Polish farmers are calling on the government to reject the WHO document in its entirety, including its proposal to end government support for tobacco cultivation, and to ensure the participation of a representative from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The EU is expected to adopt its joint position on the matter in the coming days.
“If the government does not take our side soon, tobacco cultivation may collapse, possibly within a few years. If WHO’s and Brussels’ proposals come into force, they will wipe us out in just a year or two,” warned Leszek Kwiatkowski.
“If the WHO and European Commission’s decisions are maintained in their current form, they will mean the elimination of the tobacco industry in Poland and the EU—in other words, a tragedy and mass bankruptcies among farms growing tobacco,” stressed Bartłomiej Larwa. “What we expect from the authorities is a firm stance toward WHO and the Commission, a clear ‘no’ to these plans, and a strong declaration that Polish tobacco growers are an important part of our economy and agricultural sector and that Poland will not accept these directives and recommendations.”
During a recent press conference, Minister of Agriculture Stefan Krajewski confirmed that Poland is seeking to maintain support for the tobacco sector.
“In our country, over 9,000 hectares of tobacco are cultivated, and around 22,000 tonnes of raw tobacco are processed annually. We understand the health-related issues, but we cannot overlook the farmers. We are working with the Ministry of Health and the European Commission to develop solutions favorable for producers,” the minister emphasized.
Tobacco cultivation in Poland is concentrated mainly in the Lublin, Świętokrzyskie, and Małopolskie regions. In areas with poor-quality soils, tobacco is often the only crop that provides sufficient income to sustain family farms.
“There is no viable alternative to tobacco, especially since our farms are very fragmented, small, and located in Eastern Poland, where the soil is of poor quality. On such land, we cannot grow other crops that would generate the same income as tobacco,” explained Leszek Kwiatkowski.
“Our tobacco is the best in the world, produced to high standards and of very high quality. Around 3,000 farms are involved, with some 30,000 people working directly in the sector. We produce nearly 30,000 tonnes of tobacco, most of which is exported, making it a profitable industry for the state budget as well,” added Bartłomiej Larwa.
