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Tobacco substitution welcome

 



Tobacco is an important cash crop and a source of income for the processors and, of course, a tax revenue spinner for the government. It provides relaxation to the smokers of cigarettes and nobody should deny them their free choice of enjoyment.

But there is another side to it, which is not so pleasant. The crop contains nicotine, which is an addictive drug. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco is a major killer, claiming eight million lives globally every year.

More than seven million of the deaths are as a result of direct tobacco use, while 1.2 million lives are lost due to non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. All forms of tobacco, the WHO adds, are harmful and there is no safe level of exposure.

Considering the potential harm from smoking, one would have expected the WHO to demand a complete ban on this deadly substance. However, the UN agency has adopted a creative and potentially more effective approach to dealing with the tobacco risk in Kenya.

The WHO has initiated a food crop growing campaign to help eliminate tobacco products. It has selected Kenya as the first country to implement this project to boost health and food security. After all, the country has been a signatory to the WHO Convention on Tobacco Control since 2004.

In its new approach, the WHO is working with two other UN agencies, the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, to encourage farmers to abandon tobacco and instead grow food crops.

In Migori County, a major tobacco-growing region, which accounts for more than 70 per cent of the cash crop, growing of beans is being promoted. The agencies are training farmers and providing them with seeds and fertiliser and a ready market for the crop. The farmers then get a good return from selling to the WFP.

This is an interesting challenge for the tobacco firms, but the health of Kenyans is paramount.      BY DAILY NATION    

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