Egypt: West Nile Farmers Stick to Tobacco

Source from:  Daily Monitor  05/31/2013

Despite a worldwide campaign against tobacco growing, majority of the farmers in West Nile are hesitant to stop the activity, saying it is their traditional crop.

The area is a chief producer of tobacco and farmers are demanding an alternative if they abandon the crop.
 
Mr Taban Aziz, a farmer from Terego County in Arua District says: "I was educated by tobacco. It is my main source of livelihood. If people say we leave, they should provide better alternative crops."
Tobacco growing has been linked to a major cause of poverty and effects of famine.

Studies show that in the poorest households in the district, 10 per cent of the total household expenditure is on tobacco.
Speaking to the Daily Monitor yesterday, Ms Grace Acikane, another farmer in Pajulu, said banning tobacco growing would increase poverty in many households since it is their source of income.

Leaders speak out

Leaders find it difficult to persuade farmers to leave the crop.

Terego County MP Kassiano Wadri says people should be left to do the business until they find difficulty in it.

"It is through tobacco that my school fees were paid, but the circumstance under which tobacco was grown is different from now. Companies should now feed the cow they want to milk because the price in the past was favourable and focus was on value addition," Mr Wadri said.
 
Yumbe Woman MP Hyuda Oleru says tobacco farmers should not be used as slaves.
 
"I participated in tobacco growing using hoes and it is very hectic with all the trees gone. People should not cut the natural trees. The benefits of tobacco are less compared to future challenges," Ms Oleru says.
 
Many youth face unemployment if tobacco growing is banned.

As the world marked No Tobacco Day yesterday, the World Health Organisation urged countries to ban all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship to reduce the number of consumers. Enditem