Promote viable crop alternatives to tobacco
This will save lives, protect farmers’ livelihoods and reduce health costs
Hoardings of a teary farmer thanking the government for protecting their livelihood cropped up in Delhi last week. It’s not loan waivers or subsidies that farmers are grateful for. The farmer in the advertisement is thanking the government for taking action against NGOs receiving foreign funds, referring to the recent order cancelling FCRA registrations of at least three NGOs working for tobacco-control.
Though cigarettes account for just 11% of tobacco use in India – bidis, chewing and smokeless tobacco constitute the rest – the Tobacco Institute of India (TII) says India’s tobacco-control efforts have lowered domestic demand for home-grown FlueCured Virginia (FCV) and pushed up illegal cigarette trade, leading to farmers’ earnings dropping around ₹1,500 crore between 2014 and 2016. Tobacco is highly addictive and kills half of its users. One million of the seven million annual deaths worldwide from tobacco-related diseases occur in India. Against this public health challenge, arguing that preventing disease and deaths will lead to farmers’ suicides is a fallacy. India is the world’s second largest producer of tobacco, with 60% of its annual production of 800 million kg being exported. Domestic demand accounts for just 40% of FCV cultivated in India, so the gains from improved health and lives saved from shrinking domestic demand clearly outweighs losses to farmers.
Increasing export of this highly addictive crop is not an ethical option. The challenge then is to ensure that farmers have viable substitutes for a tobacco crop. India took a lead in the inclusion of Article 17 in the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention of Tobacco Control, the world’s first public health treaty that mandates countries support economically-viable alternative for workers, growers and sellers. Instead of fighting tobacco-control measures, India must save farmers’ livelihoods by promoting viable crop alternatives to tobacco.