FACT SHEET

THIRD WORLD

The Third World dilemma is that tobacco is an important cash crop, the cigarette industry is expanding but so is the rate of lung cancer.

Smoking is steadily increasing in developing countries.

US tobacco exports to Asia increased by 91.3% from 1985 to 1987.

Some cigarettes sold to countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America deliver twice as much cancer-causing tar as the same brands sold in the countries manufacturing them.

Frequently images of sex, success, luxury and white European sophistication are used to sell cigarettes in the Third World.

Approximately 300 billion cigarettes are sold in Japan each year, 32 billion in Taiwan and 88 billion in South Korea.

In parts of Asia and Latin America, cigarette consumption increased at rate more than 30% faster than the population growth between 1970 and 1985.

In China 75% of men aged 30 years or older smoke and so do 61% of boys aged 15 or older.

China has 20% of the world's population and accounts for 25% of the world's cigarette consumption.

China produces more cigarettes than any other country.

In 1986 an agreement was made between RJ Reynolds and Xiamen to Form the China-American Cigarette Company Ltd. And build the first joint venture cigarette manufacturing facility in China.

By the year 2025 over 2 million Chinese will die prematurely each year because of smoking.

The Western Pacific Region contains one third of the world's population and more than 200 million of them smoke.

The rapid increase in tobacco consumption in the Western Pacific region accompanied the arrival of greatly increased advertising directed mainly at young people and women.

In Africa cigarette consumption increased by over 70% between 1970 and 1985.

In Kenya the British American Tobacco Company for many years had no competition but was still the 4th largest advertiser - spending nearly as much as Coca Cola at the height of its war against other cool drink companies.

In Zimbabwe one third of all farmers and 12% of all workers are employed by the tobacco industry.

Tobacco companies pay cash on delivery for a tobacco crop which provides farmers with an incentive to grow tobacco.

Tobacco has to be cured before it can be processed into a marketable form. In many developing countries wood is used to provide heat in the flue cure process.

One hectare of forest is needed to cure every hectare of tobacco.

Nearly 5 million hectares of forest are destroyed each year to provide trees to cure tobacco - that's about a tree a fortnight for the average smoker.

Few developing countries have enacted any legislative control on advertising or promotion of tobacco products, sales to minors, tar and nicotine content of cigarettes or a requirement for packets to carry a health warning.