Tag: Brazil

  • Brazil Mulls Legalizing E-Cigarettes

    Brazil Mulls Legalizing E-Cigarettes

    Photo: Rmcarvalhobsb

    E-cigarettes may become legal in Brazil later this year as ANVISA, the federal health sanitary agency, plans to revisit its regulations regarding the products. Proponents of vaping have been pushing the government to legalize the products to help smokers quit combustibles, but critics are concerned about  youth usage as well as potential higher rates of vaping that could follow legalization.

    Electronic tobacco products have been banned in Brazil since 2009, but there are currently shops that sell the products anyway, often with statements that the products are safe, according to The World.

    “Once the product is legally allowed to be commercialized, it gets into the distribution network of the tobacco companies, which have one of the best distribution systems around,” said Stella Bialous, a Brazilian expert on tobacco issues and a professor from the University of California, San Francisco. She fears that more people would likely take up vaping if the products are allowed to be commercialized. In 2019, less than 1 percent of Brazilians used e-cigarettes. However, if the products are commercialized, they would become more easily available, and that percentage could quickly rise.

    “Considering that these products are attractive to youth and that we can’t affirm that they really work for tobacco cessation, we believe that we must prioritize the public policies to prevent smoke initiation and also to promote health for the Brazilian population,” said Monica Andreis, the executive director from ACT Promocao da Saude, a nongovernmental organization that focuses on tobacco control policies.

    “Brazil has a leadership role in Latin America and also around the world related to tobacco control policies. I believe that the decision from ANVISA has the potential to influence other countries in Latin America,” Andreis said.

    ANVISA has not commented on the situation, stating that it is still analyzing data. “Up to this point, there are still uncertainties and controversies related to the risks attributed to these devices,” the agency stated in February.

  • Brazil Recyling Tobacco Pesticide Containers

    Brazil Recyling Tobacco Pesticide Containers

    Photo: Sinditabaco

    Tobacco growers in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul area are eligible to take part in the empty pesticide container collection program from March 7 to May 19. The move is part of a project by the Interstate Tobacco Industry Union, SindiTabaco, and associate companies, in partnership with the Tobacco Growers’ Association of Brazil, Afubra, and now benefits 113,000 tobacco growers and 395 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina.

    Iro Schuenke

    According to SindiTabaco President Iro Schuenke, the project is one of the various examples in which the sector puts environmental, social and governance principles into practice.

    “The pesticide collection program was created before legislation now in force, with the purpose to preserve the environment and farmers’ health and safety through proper disposal of empty pesticide packaging,” said Schuenke in a statement.

    In its 21 years of operation, the program has collected 18 million empty pesticide containers and become a benchmark for other sectors in reverse logistics.

    Of the containers collected, 93 percent are destined for recycling, providing raw materials to other plastic products, according to program coordinator Carlos Sehn. Containers that cannot be recycled are taken to licensed landfills.

  • Institute Recognized for Fighting Child Labor

    Institute Recognized for Fighting Child Labor

    Photo: Rachel Almeida

    Brazil’s Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights has recognized the Instituto Crescer Legal (ICL)—the “Growing up Right Institute”—with its Brazil Child-Friendly Award for its efforts to combat child labor in rural areas.

    ICL CEO Iro Schunke accepted the award during a ceremony on Nov. 19 in Brasilia. “We are very happy, and it encourages us to spare no effort in creating opportunities for young people to continue expanding their horizons”, he said in a statement.

    Created in 2015, the ICL is an initiative of the interstate tobacco industry union, SindiTabaco, and its associate companies. In addition to promoting education, the institute facilitates apprenticeships and offers entrepreneurship courses.

    Previously, the ICL was recognized by the Innovare Institute, which represents prestigious associations in the legal profession.

    The Brazil Child-Friendly Award recognizes best practices in the promotion of children’s rights.

    Tobacco Reporter profiled the Growing Up Right Institute in its April 2021 issue.

  • Brazilian Crop Volume Down Nearly 10 Percent

    Brazilian Crop Volume Down Nearly 10 Percent

    Photo: Souza Cruz

    The Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Parana produced 569.54 million kg of tobacco in 2021–2022, 9.38 percent less than during the previous growing season, according to an announcement from the tobacco growers’ association Afubra relayed by Kohltrade.

    The planted area shrunk by 9.78 percent to 243,590 hectares (ha) in this year. Afubra expects yields to average 2,310 kg per ha compared with 2,299 kg per ha in the previous growing season.

    The volume reduction was expected, according to Afubra President Benicio Albano Werner. “We had already estimated that there would be a reduction of 8 [percent] to 10 percent, on average, in southern Brazil,” he said. “This is not negative; on the contrary, it is necessary since, for several harvests, Afubra and the entities representing tobacco growers warn of the need to adapt our product offer to market demand.”

    Werner said the decline was due also to growers’ frustration with the commercialization of last year’s harvest and competition for alternative crops. More tobacco farmers, he noted, have been diversifying their operations in recent years.

  • Leaf Exporter Charged With Using Slave Labor

    Leaf Exporter Charged With Using Slave Labor

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    Brazil has charged a tobacco exporter with using slave labor, reports Reuters. The case comes after labor inspectors found nine workers, including children, living in poor condition on a farm in Venancio Aires, Rio Grande do Sul. The workers were allegedly paid less than a third of Brazil’s minimum wage. They also lacked protective gear, leaving them exposed to high concentrations of nicotine.

    The tobacco exporter countered that the farm’s owner was responsible for hiring. The company said it conducts its operations in accordance with Brazilian legislation and has programs to fight child labor.

    Under Brazil’s integrated tobacco production system, exporters provide credit, seeds and equipment to leaf growers in exchange for exclusive rights to the farm output. Production contracts allow merchants to audit the farm and dictate how to develop the crops. Labor inspectors insists this degree of control makes companies responsible for the working conditions at the farms they contract.

    “The industry’s current position of not being responsible for the illegal exploitation of the workforce … has to be faced,” said labor inspector Leandro Vagliati. “The companies have to be called to account,”

    Brazil’s definition of slavery includes not only as forced labor but also as debt bondage, degrading work conditions, long hours that pose a risk to health and any work that violates human dignity.

    Since its creation in 1995, Brazil’s anti-slavery taskforce has found more than 55,000 people in slavery-like conditions.

    If found guilty of using slave labor after a government review, the accused tobacco exporter could be added to Brazil’s “dirty list” of companies that have engaged in slave labor.

    Companies remain on the list for two years and are barred during that period from receiving state loans. The list is also used by international buyers concerned about supply chains.

  • Brazil: Tobacco Harvest ‘Inaugurated’

    Brazil: Tobacco Harvest ‘Inaugurated’

    SindiTabaco President Iro Schunke honors tobacco growers during a ceremony in Rio Grande do Sul celebrating the sector’s contributions. (Photo: SindiTabaco)

    Brazil leaf tobacco sector “inaugurated” the tobacco harvest on Oct. 28 in the Faxinal de Dentro district of Rio Grande do Sul. Promoted by the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, the festivity is an official event of the state government and relies on support from the Interstate Tobacco Industry Union (SindiTabaco), Tobacco Growers’ Association of Brazil (Afubra) and the municipal administration of Vale do Sol.

    Speaking during the ceremony, SindiTabaco President Iro Schunke said the inauguration of the harvest, held on Tobacco Growers’ Day, is an excellent opportunity to acknowledge tobacco farmers’ social and economic contributions.

    “Approximately 10 percent of all Rio Grande do Sul exports last year consisted of tobacco shipments,” he said in a statement. “Several mayors report that, after the arrival of tobacco in their municipalities, things changed for the better, seeing that there was an increase in tax collection for the benefit of all citizens.”

  • Iro Schunke Reelected President SindiTabaco

    Iro Schunke Reelected President SindiTabaco

    Iro Schunke (Photo: Taco Tuinstra)

    Iro Schunke has been reelected as the president of Brazil’s Interstate Tobacco Industry Union, SindiTabaco. The election took place in early September at the organization’s head office in Santa Cruz do Sul.

    Schunke, who has presided over SindiTabaco since 2006, intends to continue the organization’s work in defense of the tobacco supply chain during his upcoming tenure. “We consider all matters of common interest to our associate members, with an eye on strengthening the supply chain as a whole,” said Schunke in a statement. “Our major goals are the regulatory matters, social and environmental responsibility and visibility of the sector.”

    Within this context, SindiTabaco has been keeping a close watch on all matters relating to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention for Tobacco Control and pioneered programs in the social and environmental areas. Among other initiatives, the organization has initiated programs to combat deforestation and collect empty pesticide containers. Meanwhile, the Growing Up Right Institute has worked diligently to eradicate child labor.

    Furthermore, SindiTabaco encourages rural diversification through such initiatives as the corn, bean and pastureland after tobacco harvest program. “Our work is totally transparent, as this is the model that we are trying to strengthen,” said Schunke. We will continue guiding our activities in areas that impact upon the life of those who earn a livelihood from this agribusiness segment.”

    Besides Schunke, the board of directors is composed of the following members: Edenir Gassen, secretariat vice president; Flavio Marques Goulart, finance vice president; Valmor Thesing, industrial affairs vice president; Roberto Naue, fiscal affairs vice president; Paulo Cezar Favero, tobacco production and quality vice president; and Guatimozin de Oliveira Santos Filho, vice president of environmental management and social responsibility.

    The new board of directors will take office on Oct. 22.

  • Russia Lifts Embargo on Leaf Imports

    Russia Lifts Embargo on Leaf Imports

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    Russia has lifted restrictions on the import of tobacco leaf from Brazil, India, South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi, reports The Rio Times.

    The restrictions were implemented after the presence of humpback flies in shipments were discovered. In particular, it was found in raw materials from Brazil five times last year and seven times since the beginning of this year.

    The decision was made after a report from the National Plant Protection Organization of Brazil stated adoption of “comprehensive phytosanitary measures” for the resumption of tobacco leaf supplies to Russia.

  • Russia Bans Brazilian Leaf Over Pest Concerns

    Russia Bans Brazilian Leaf Over Pest Concerns

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    Russia has banned tobacco imports from Brazil and four other countries as of Monday, July 19, reports Datamar News, citing authorities’ concerns about infestation.

    The announcement was made on July 15 by the Russian federal service for veterinary and phytosanitary surveillance, which cited concerns about the phytosanitary status of tobacco from various countries destined for the Russian Federation and the systematic violation of the phytosanitary requirements of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

    To date this year, Russian inspectors have detected the Megaselia scalaris fly in 28 tobacco shipments, according to a statement published on the website of the Russian Trade Representative in Brazil. Megaselia scalaris is considered a quarantine pest throughout the EAEU.

    Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture said it had not been officially informed about the decision. According to data from the ministry, Brazil exported almost 20,000 tons of leaf tobacco and related products valued at $43.7 million to Russia in 2020.

    The ban comes at a bad time for Brazil’s leaf merchants, many of whom are in the shipping stage of the tobacco season and have been forced to postpone shipments to a major market. 

  • Brazil: Anti-Child Labor Initiatives Paying off

    Brazil: Anti-Child Labor Initiatives Paying off

    Iro Schuenke

    The tobacco industry in Brazil has made great strides in its battle against child labor, SindiTabaco announced on the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) World Day Against Child Labor on June 10.

    SindiTabaco launched its “The Future is Now” program in 1998—four years before the ILO debuted World Day Against Child Labor.

    Today, the tobacco sector is the only one to require proof of school enrollment of its farmers’ school-age children. Tobacco companies will renew production contracts with growers only if they can present a certificate of school attendance.

    According to SindiTabaco president Iro Schuenke, the first actions intended to create awareness of the importance of school attendance. “At that time, the companies got organized in contact with the municipalities in order to actively solve one-off questions related to school evasion, mainly caused by the lack of schools or deficient transport systems affecting farmers’ children,” he explains.

    As the years went by, these initiatives evolved and gave rise to the Growing Up Right Institute, which has already benefited 500 teenagers in rural areas. The institute pioneered professional learning programs for the young in the countryside, qualifying adolescents through rural management and entrepreneurship courses.

    “For most of the young, besides being an opportunity for developing their skills without having to leave their communities, it is also their first formal job, as the program complies with the learning law, and the young participants receive a salary proportional to 20 hours a week,” says Schuenke, who is also the director president of the Growing Up Right Institute. “It is a manner for them to spend their time in the course and at school, far away from tasks inappropriate for their age.”

    Tobacco Reporter profiled the Growing Up Right Institute in April.