Dec. 2: India’s tobacco majors ITC and Godfrey Phillips India (GPI) have the stopped the production of cigarettes in view of uncertainty over the sort of pictorial warnings that needed to be carried on tobacco products starting this month.
The companies have said there was no clarity on the type of warnings to be carried on the packages. ITC said that brands such as India Kings, Gold Flake and Navy Cut have stopped production at all five units located across India since Wednesday.
Similarly, production has been stalled since December 1 onwards at GPI’s two units in India. It makes brands such as Four Square, Red and White and Cavanders. “Yes, we have stopped production at our two units,” GPI vice-president, marketing, Ms Neeta Kapur, said.
The ministry of health and family welfare had notified in May this year that all tobacco product packages in the country must carry pictorial health warnings like depicting a cancer-stricken mouth, from December 1, 2010. “Companies making cigarettes and bidis have been forced to close down production due to the uncertainty regarding the warning,” Tobacco Institute of India director, Mr Udayan Lall, said.
He said the companies had written a letter to the ministry seeking clarity on the the kind of pictorial warnings to be carried on packs, but no clarity has emerged from the government on the same.
Tobacco companies were under the impression that the December 1 timeline for putting pictures of ‘Mouth Cancer’ on product packs would get pushed.