Tobacco Growing Should be Phased Out by 2020

Source from:  UNI 10/18/2011

Mysore, Oct 17 : Growing tobacco should be phased out by 2020 as per WHO direction and growers should look for alternative crop otherwise it would become difficult for them, speakers at a seminar opined here today. A seminar on 'Alternative Crops to Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) Tobacco in Karnataka' took a serious note discussing alternative crop for cultivation by tobacco growers in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and opined the next two years would be crucial for them if they did not reduce their crop size. The one-day national seminar organised by Tobacco Board in collaboration with Central Tobacco Institute was attended by farmers from Mysore Region which has major tobacco growing areas. The seminar was an initial policy initiative towards fulfilling the mandatory requirements under WHO'S agreement to phase out tobacco by 2020. Enditem