Bulgaria Asks MEPs to Defend Turkish Tobbaco

Bulgarian Minister of Agriculture Miroslav Naydenov has invited Bulgarian MEPs from all political groups on a meeting to forge a common position in defense of Turkish tobacco varieties.

Turkish tobacco, also known as Oriental tobacco, signifies a number of aromatic varieties of the plant developed and grown in the area of what once was the Ottoman Empire.

It currently comprises the vast majority of tobacco grown in Bulgaria, being also widely grown in neighboring Greece, Turkey and Macedonia, as well as in Italy.

By the end of 2012, the European Commission's DG on Health and Consumer Protection plans to forward a ban for Turkish tobacco to be grown in the EU via an amendment of the tobacco directive.

During a prior attempt for amendment of the directive, EC's DG Agriculture was against and it was not passed.

According to Minister Naydenov, Bulgarian national institutions and MEPs must do everything they can to preserve the culture grown for centuries by Bulgarian tobacco farmers.

Turkish/ Oriental tobacco, along with Virginia and Burley is one of the three main types of tobacco varieties grown worldwide.

The EU is planning a ban on Oriental and Burley tobaccoes in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

According to the convention, the two varieties are to be discontinued, as blended cigarettes in which they are used need additional allegedly dangerous additives to be produced.

Critics of the ban have said that it is pointless in terms of health benefits and will just contribute to ruining the economy of communities where Turkish tobacco and Burley are main sources of livelihood.

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