CAIRO: The Eastern Tobacco Company submitted a request to the Ministry of Agriculture to cultivate tobacco in Upper Egypt, according to a board member at the company. The company's motive is not about financial gains or an increase in production as much as it is about liberating itself from depending on foreign exports, which may be curtailed during any political conflict, explained the source. He added that the price of cigarettes produced with locally-cultivated tobacco will not change. "The price will not be affected and our profit will not increase because the taxes and other governmental fees will remain the same on both local and imported tobacco, he said. According to the board member, the Eastern Tobacco Company imports its tobacco from the US, China as well as African and European countries. Dr Fatimah El-Awa, regional advisor of the Tobacco-Free Initiative Focal Point, Health and Human Rights at the World Health Organization (WHO), was troubled to hear the news of Eastern Tobacco's request. Her dismay was conveyed and shared by Dr Hamdy Al-Sayed, chairman of the Doctors' Syndicate, when he called into "Al-Bait Baitak television talk show. Al-Sayed said that El-Awa called him from Washington, DC as soon as she heard the news and was infuriated with the company's request. Chairman of Eastern Tobacco Mohamed Sadek also phoned in, defending the company's right to make such a request. "Tobacco is being planted everywhere in the world, he said. In an interview with Daily News Egypt, the source from the company also defended the company's plans, saying that "it is not by any means encouraging smoking or pollution, but is rather providing a product that is in high demand. Dr Farid Ismail, member of the People's Assembly's (PA) health committee, told Daily News Egypt that the committee is very upset with the news. "Currently, official legislation is in the works - backed by the government - to prohibit smoking in public areas and governmental institutions, which shows the government's stance on smoking, Ismail said. In that context, he said that the company's plan to plant tobacco locally is in "violation of the law for which the company should be penalized. Ismail also said that in the coming sessions the PA will focus on this issue, "and the health committee will do its best to stop this [request] from being approved. The PA will ask all the concerned ministries - namely the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Interior - to attend the decisive session, according to Ismail. The company's request comes on the heels of efforts by the government and the WHO to eliminate smoking in Egypt. Two months ago, the WHO urged the Minister of Information to run a bar at the bottom of television series broadcasting during Ramadan advising viewers against smoking by highlighting the health risks. An official fatwa prohibiting smoking issued by former Grand Mufti Nasr Farid Wassel was recently reissued by incumbent Mufti Ali Gomaa.
