Growing Tobacco Leads to Poverty

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 06/29/2010

Tobacco cultivation has contributed to increased levels of poverty in Sri Lanka, according to a Daily News story quoting the chairman of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol, Professor Carlo Fonseka. Speaking at a media conference, Fonseka said that tobacco growers became dependent on tobacco companies, but they made no profit. Fonseka said also that tobacco cultivation was a threat to the environment because it increased soil erosion, required a lot of water and needed a relatively high level of agrochemicals. He said that farmers were unaware of these facts and were blindly bent on tobacco cultivation. Enditem