Group wants phaseout of tobacco farming

MANILA, Philippines — In line with the celebration of World No Tobacco Day tomorrow, tobacco control advocates have urged concerned authorities to phase out tobacco farming to achieve food security.

Governments should support tobacco farmers to transition to growing food crops for a healthier, more sustainable society, the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) said yesterday.

The group said tobacco cultivation and leaf curing involve land clearing and tree cutting, which contributes five percent of global deforestation. The process also strips the land of essential soil nutrients much more than other crops, it added.

“Tobacco growing is also dependent on chemical pesticides that poison the soil and water reservoirs. Farmlands dedicated to tobacco are also a lost opportunity for growing food crops,” SEATCA said in a statement.

“Contrary to tobacco industry claims, tobacco farming is not a profitable venture for smallholder farmers. Smallholder tobacco farmers often find themselves trapped in poverty as leaf prices are typically low and dictated by the large, multinational tobacco-buying companies,” it said.

“Moreover, tobacco farmers are often locked into unfair loan contracts with tobacco companies, leaving farmers with negative net incomes instead of profits. Tobacco is also highly labor-intensive, requiring farmers and their spouses and children to dedicate long hours to tend to tobacco crops, rendering them unable to dedicate time to other important economic or personal pursuits,” it noted.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, tobacco farmers were given vegetable seed packs to support food sufficiency and provide additional income from these more profitable and in-demand crops.

“Shifting to growing food crops offers numerous benefits to farmers beyond providing greater food security and increased income. It is much less labor intensive and protects them from exposure to chemical pesticides and the risk of green tobacco sickness, a form of nicotine poisoning, which causes nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, weakness, among others,” SEATCA executive director Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo said.

At the same time, SEATCA pointed out that tobacco is an obstacle to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 1, which envisions ending poverty in all forms everywhere, tobacco farmers included; Goal 2, which aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture; and Goal 3, which aims to ensure good health and well-being for all.