Rocco Rorandelli

Bitter Leaves

book exhibition
Over the course of almost ten years, Rocco Rorandelli has travelled extensively to India, China, Indonesia, USA, Germany, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Slovenia and Italy in order to document the impact that the tobacco industry has on human health, the economy as well as the environment, looking through the “smokescreen” of the industry. The work is a way to understand how tobacco promotes the stripping of farmlands, threatens workers with dangerous chemicals, exploits child labor and undocumented workers, utilizes aggressive marketing campaigns aimed at identifying new customers (mostly underage), and conducts heavy lobbying to promote its expansion to novel markets and social strata.

Over the course of almost ten years, Rocco Rorandelli has travelled extensively to India, China, Indonesia, USA, Germany, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Slovenia and Italy in order to document the impact that the tobacco industry has on human health, the economy as well as the environment, looking through the “smokescreen” of the industry.
Cigarettes are considered the most marketed consumer product in history. Their success derives from their apparent simplicity: tobacco leaves, paper and filter. Their design, however, hides not only the chemical toxicity of smoke, but also the many socio-economic and environmental negative aspects linked to their production, marketing and utilization.
The work is a way to understand how tobacco promotes the stripping of farmlands, threatens workers with dangerous chemicals, exploits child labor and undocumented workers, utilizes aggressive marketing campaigns aimed at identifying new customers (mostly underage), and conducts heavy lobbying to promote its expansion to novel markets and social strata.

Jakarta, Indonesia. The Sampoerna Strategic Square, built by billionaire Putera Sampoerna, owner of the largest tobacco company of Indonesia, and housing several business offices, among which the Sampoerna Foundation, the only element of the company retained by the family after the sale of the company to Philip Morris International in 2005.
South Hill, VA, USA. The Tobacco farm Life Museum of Virginia. In the main producing states, tobacco is still regarded as a crucial crop to support the local economy. Its iconic role in society is also underlined by a number of smaller museums, celebrating its history and importance.
A deposit of bags utilized to smuggle cigarettes.
Hoi Xi Xan, China. The village of Hoi Xi Xan. Here, like in most of the villages of the area, tobacco is the mail cash crop. The central government encourages farmers to plant tobacco by providing loans and financial support in the form of pesticides and coal for the curing process. Production volume and price of tobacco are determined by the central government. NGOs claim that this imposed mechanism only favours tobacco companies and keep farmers in a tobacco-dependent economic condition. The tobacco industry has been largely responsible for the economic growth of the province but it has failed to spread wealth to the rural area where around 87 percent of the province’s total population live. Out of a total population of 41 million, about 6 million people in the province still live below the national poverty level at an annual income below RMB 500. A tobacco grower in Yunnan earns an average of RMB 1,000 per Mu (1 Mu = 666 Square meters). A vegetable farmer earns an average of RMB 4,000 per Mu. In China, about 1 million hectars of land are utilized to grow tobacco, 40% of which just in Yunnan.
A tobacco vendor in South Jakarta. Tobacco companies provide free of charge the large plastic advertisement covers, which can be found anywhere in street markets and stalls. According to the 2009 National Socioeconomic survey, poor households spent 19 per cent of their income on staple foods and 11 per cent on tobacco, 2 per cent for education and 3 per cent on health care. Six out of 10 low-income households report spending on cigarettes.
Periyapatna, India. A farmer holding 1st-grade tobacco leaves during the Tobacco Board Periyapatna auction. Today, tobacco prices range between 52 and 130 rupies/kg (1,1-2,8 US$/kg). When dealers and tobacco companies buy a tobacco stock from a farmer, this is given an invoice and will be paid, directly in the bank, after 2 weeks. Only regularly licensed farmers can participate to the auctions. In this region, ITC usually purchases 50% of the auctioned tobacco, while the rest is sold to JPI and other big buyers.
Milan, Italy. Surgeon Giulia Veronesi dissecting a lung cancer after performing a 4 hours long surgery on a male smoker at the European Institute of Oncology. Survival rates for lung cancer remain very low.
Wilson, N.C., USA. Inside a receiving station of Universal Leaf. Universal Leaf and Alliance One are the main global tobacco dealers, receiving cured tobacco leaves from farmers, then grading, stocking and selling them to cigarette manufacturers. There are about 70 different grades, based on quality, texture, leaf position, color. Prices usually go from 1,6 to 1,8 USD per pound. A pound of tobacco is enough to produce 1400 cigarettes (equivalent to 70 cartons). A tobacco bale usually weighs 750 pounds, with a value of about 1000 USD.
Akkol, India. The owners of Sunmatti Tobacco Processor, a bidi tobacco threshing plants where tobacco leaves, after being dried and graded, are cut into pieces, ready to be rolled into the final product, the bidi. They also posses 50 acres of land cultivated with tobacco. In Nipani, almost 70% of tax revenues derive from bidi tobacco. In India, some two million people are engaged in leaf collection and 4.4 million people employed directly in bidi rolling. The informal, cottage-linked nature of this industry prevents workers from being organized in large, powerful unions. In addition, bidi tobacco is not regulated by any governmental institution and prices are controlled only by dealers. For these reasons, bidi tobacco is less remunerative for farmers than the Virginia flue-cured variety, used for cigarettes.
Harvested tobacco is drying in the fields. In Nipani, almost 70% of tax revenues derive from bidi tobacco. Here, 13000 ha are cultivated with bidi tobacco and 20000 people work as bidi rollers, contributing to 20% of India's bidi tobacco production. In India, some two million people are engaged in leaf collection and 4.4 million people employed directly in bidi rolling. The informal, cottage-linked nature of this industry prevents workers from being organized in large, poweerful unions. In addition, bidi tobacco is not regulated by any governmental institution and prices are controlled only by dealers. For these reasons, bidi tobacco is less remunerative for farmers than the Virginia flue-cured variety, used for cigarettes. © Rocco Rorandelli
Nipani, India. A bidi tobacco taster expert employed by Shah Chhanganlal Ugarchand, one of the largest tobacco commission agents of the region. A tobacco taster smokes up to 100 bidis/day to grade the different batches of tobacco before sales.
Wilson, NC, USA. The preparation of a new tobacco auction warehouse in Wilson. In 2000, with the tobacco buyout, farmers shifted from the quota system to direct contracts with cigarette companies or tobacco dealers. However, in 2007-2008, as prices for tobacco decreased caused by growing competition with Asian producers, farmers started looking for other ways to sell their tobacco, and a few auction plans opened again. In 2013, in Wilson only, two actions plans are operating. Mostly, they buy "bad tobacco", which Philip Morris and other major players do not want to purchase, but which is ideal for small, cheap cigarette companies. Farmers also like the direct contact with the owners, and their prices are good, about 2 USD per pound, paying directly on the spot.
Hunsur, India. The tobacco seed bank of the Central Tobacco Research Institute, a governmental research center aimed at improving tobacco quality and also to find valuable alternatives to tobacco growing. The centre mainly promotes the alternation of crops and the introduction of other cultures such as trees and aquaculture, in order to decrease the dependency of farmers on tobacco plants.
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Munich, Germany. A meeting during the World Tobacco Expo 2011. The event brings together companies involved in the manufacturing of cigarette, from rolling machines, to packaging, to additives. Every year a number of these events are held in USA, Asia, Europe.
Jakarta, Indonesia. Cristian, aged 45 years, affected by a smoking-related cancer in his lung, which has spread to his brain, is now undergoing radiotherapy. In Indonesia, such therapies are not paid for by the government, and a cycle of radiotherapy costs between USD 1,800 to 2,400, an amount that few people can afford. Cigarette smoking causes the death of about 200,000 Indonesians each year. The number of smokers in growing economies is increasing, together with the rate of smoking-related cancers. In the 1990s smoke killed 4 million people in the world, with 50% in low and middle income-countries; today that number has risen to 6 million, with about 80% of the deaths occurring in low and middle income countries.
Xundian, China. Wang Zhi Hui, a tobacco grower, in her family barn. Xundian is one of poorest rural areas in Yunnan Province. Land is hilly and the soil infertile. Some 180 people reside in this village and almost all of them grow tobacco. The tobacco industry has been largely responsible for the economic growth of the province but it has failed to spread the wealth to the rural area where around 87 percent of the province’s population live. Out of a total population of 41 million, about 6 million people in the province still live below the national poverty level at an annual income below USD 70 . A tobacco grower in Yunnan earns an average of USD 148 per Mu (1 Mu = 666 Square meters) compared with a vegetable farmer who earns an average of USD 595 per Mu. In China, about 1 million hectares of land are utilized to grow tobacco, 40% of which are in Yunnan.
Nipani, India. Inside the tobacco deposit of 30 Brand Products Bharat Beedis company, opened in 1930, one of the main bidi producers of the area, collecting 3,000 tons of tobacco and producing 5 million bidis each year. Bidis are the most consumed tobacco product in India, with 125 million bidi smokers.
Kunming, China. The headquarters of the Kunming Tobacco factory. Benefits and corporate welfare for company workers are such that a job in Honghe is regarded as very prestigious. The factory belongs to Honghe Tobacco Company, part of the Honyun Honghe Group. With the production of 230 billion cigarettes per year, the group represents the world's fourth-largest producer after Philip Morris International Inc., British American Tobacco PLC and Japan Tobacco Inc. in terms of production volume and annual revenues of more than USD 6 billion. The group is the result of the recent merging of two companies, and possesses production facilities in Yunnan and the northwestern Xinjiang region. China's State Tobacco Monopoly Administration is encouraging tobacco companies to merge and benefit from economy of scale. The industry's umbrella state-owned monopoly company, China National Tobacco Corp., is planning to form 10 major tobacco companies throughout the country through mergers. Honghe controls 60% of Yunnan's cigarette market. An anonymous informant interviewed by the Author affirms that the company recently introduced Jia Zi and Win ("Kiss") to attract more female consumers. The percentage of male smokers in China is beginning to decrease from a high of about 60%, while the percentage of female smokers remains, for now, very low.
Yuxi, China. The Hongta cigarette factory production line. The company claims that this is the world's most advanced cigarette production line, with fully automated robots. In the Yuxi factory, more than 135 billion sticks are produced per year, covering 12% of China's total production. China is the largest producer of cigarettes in the world.
A cancer tissue micro array sample at the European Institute of Oncology
Nipani, India. Shah Chhanganlal Ugarchand, one of the largest tobacco commission agents of Nipani. He claims that this year the quality of the tobacco is bad, and prices he can pay are low, such as 2US$/kg. NGOs and farmers say that this is a strategy to lower prices. As the final price agreement with each tobacco farmer is done secretly, covering the hands under a white towel and using a code, it is hard for producers to define a common strategy. The lack of a Tobacco Board makes the market unregulated and no organization provides financial support to farmers in years when torrential rain can reduce production by 60%. In Nipani, almost 70% of tax revenues derive from bidi tobacco. Here, 13000 ha are cultivated with bidi tobacco and 20000 people work as bidi rollers, contributing to 20% of India's bidi tobacco production.
Near Goldsboro, N.C., USA. MIguel, 14 years old, in a tobacco field on a early Sunday morning. He works 12 to 13 hours per day, every day, earning 7,85 USD per hour. Both his parents work in tobacco. He works only in the summer in order to help his parents sending him and his two sisters to school. Advocates who study migrant farm worker families estimate that as many as a half million of children currently work in US farms. Many of these children are working legally under a loophole in U.S. child labor laws. Federal law provides no minimum age for work on small farms with parental permission, and children over 12 may work for hire outside school hours. Under federal law, child farmworkers can also do jobs at 16 that the U.S. Department of Labor considers "particularly hazardous" for children. In addition, legislation does not take into account the risks posed specifically by tobacco farming. Handling tobacco leaves causes the transderming absorption of high doses of nicotine, an equivalent of 12 cigarettes a day, 36 on a humid day, causing Green Tobacco Sickness. Children, with their small body mass, present lower intoxication threshold for both nicotine and chemicals used in tobacco farming.
Mysore, India. Tobacco Board Headquarters. Ganesh V.K. (left), senior grading officer, Mr Maiesh (center), field assistant, and an office employee (right). The central government regulates the production and selling of flue-cured Virgina (cigarette) tobacco, and runs a series of auction platforms where farmers and tobacco companies can have a direct relationship. In addition, the Tobacco Board controls the number of tobacco farmers by providing production licenses.
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Yuxi, China. The Cigarette Park belonging to the Hongta Group and celebrating the history and importance of tobacco in the history of Yunnan and China. Hongta Group has also built a tobacco museum, a tobacco library, and restored a temple that gives the name to the group. In the Yuxi factory, more than 135 billion sticks are produced per year, covering 12% of China's total production. The Hongta Group was established in 1956 as a small scale tobacco factory and today it is the largest tobacco enterprise in China, expanding in energy and transportation, finance insurance, medicine and the light chemical industry.
Nipani, India. The medical team of the Beedi Workers Welfare Association, in a hospital that takes care of the bidi rollers of the region. The structure is sponsored by the Government of India and the Minister of Labour. Every day, some 30 to 50 patients require medical assistance. Rates of respiratory and skin infections are high among bidi rollers, and malnutrition is also important because of their low socio-economical status. When sick or at the hospital, bidi rollers are not able to reach their daily production of bidis, hence they don't get paid.
Kunming, China. Tobacco seeds at the College of Tobacco Science, Yunnan Agricultural University, inaugurated in 1996. In China, about 1 million hectars of land are utilized to grow tobacco, 40% of which just in Yunnan. Overall, every year the tobacco industry provides about 60 million US$ of tax revenues to the central governemt of China, For this reason, the government funds research on tobacco, mainly to produce pest-resistant varieties able to give a higher yeld.
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Cancer samples stored at the biorepository at the European Institute of Oncology.
Yuxi, China. A man smoking from a local water pipe. Tobacco is commonly cultivated in the province and some of the tobacco is kept and used by the farmers.
Periyapatna, India. P. Jayarama (centre), auction superintendent of the Tobacco Board auction floor, accepts bids for the exhibited tobacco bales. Tobacco prices range between USD 1-3 per kilo.
Lucama, N.C., USA. Laborer in front of a curing barn at Sullivan Farms. Leaves will dry, getting ready to be sold. With 650 acres of tobacco and 40 seasonal laborers working in the farm, the Randy Edwards estate is investing in more fuel-efficient curing machines. However, buying and running barns is expensive. Farmers complain for the increasingly lower prices paid by companies for tobacco leaves. "If a pack if cigarettes is 5 USD, farmers get about 5 cents", says Randy Edwards.
Marchevo, Bulgaria. Tobacco leaves drying next to a house. Most Bulgarian tobacco farmers dry leaves at their homes; in most cases these represent the sole cash income for the year. Tobacco in the area is usually sold for USD 3.5 per kg.
Nipani, India. The Apparamadhange family, owners of 5 acres of tobacco-growing land, drying this year's production in front of their home. They have been planting beedi tobacco for the last 18 years and in 2007 they also started cultivating some sugar cane on 4 additional acres of land. Tobacco is very labour intensive and all the farmers work from June to January. In Akkol, 75% of farmers cultivate tobacco. Commissioning agents, to whom farmers sell tobacco, claim that this year the quality of the tobacco is poor, and so they pay the farmers low prices, such as USD 2/kg. NGOs and farmers say that this is a strategy to lower prices. As the final price agreement with each individual tobacco farmer is done secretly, using a code and covering the hands under a white towel, it is hard for farmers to organize a common strategy. The lack of a Tobacco Board makes the market unregulated and no organization provides financial support to farmers in years when torrential rain can reduce production by 60%.
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Milan, Italy. Serenella Pacifici, 71 years old, in the surgery ward of the European Institute of Oncology, waiting to be operated on for a lung cancer. She had been smoking since she was 17. In Italy, 7% of the funds spent on the health system are used on treatments linked to smoking.
Munich, Germany. A meeting during the World Tobacco Expo 2011. The event brings together companies involved in the manufacturing of cigarette, from rolling machines, to packaging, to additives. Every year a number of these events are held in USA, Asia, Europe.
Cover of the book "Bitter Leaves"
Cover of the book "Bitter Leaves"
Pages of the book "Bitter Leaves"
Pages of the book "Bitter Leaves"
Pages of the book "Bitter Leaves"
Pages of the book "Bitter Leaves"
Pages of the book "Bitter Leaves"
Pages of the book "Bitter Leaves"
Photolux, Lucca 2021
Photolux, Lucca 2021
Photolux, Lucca 2021