Indian tobacco farmers gathered outside the venue of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s to protest their exclusion as delegates arrived in Greater Noida for the opening session of the seventh Conference of the Parties, PTI reported.

The semi-annual meeting from 7-12 Nov is expected to include discussion on proposing alternative crops to tobacco. Farmers accused the FCTC and the COP7 of hiding the debate on their future by shutting out their representatives, according to the Press Trust India report.