The World Health Organisation has decried the rising number of tobacco users in the African region due to the increased production of the product and aggressive marketing by operators in the industry.
WHO observed that while the number of people using tobacco products is decreasing in other parts of the world, it is rising in the Africa region.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti disclosed this in her message to commemorate the ‘World No Tobacco Day’.
Moeti remarked, “For example, the number of tobacco users in the WHO African Region increased from an estimated 64 million adult users in 2000 to 73 million in 2018.
“This is partly due to the increased production of tobacco products as well as aggressive marketing by the tobacco industry,” Dr Moeti said.
WNTD is observed around the world every year on May 31, to inform the public on the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies, and what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations.
At this year’s theme which is ‘Grow Food, Not Tobacco,’ Moeti stressed that the tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health challenges the world has ever faced, killing more than 8million people around the world every year.
“This theme aims to raise awareness about alternative crop production and marketing opportunities for tobacco farmers and encourage them to grow sustainable, nutritious crops. The theme also seeks to expose the tobacco industry’s efforts to interfere with attempts to substitute tobacco growing with sustainable crops, thereby worsening the global food crisis.
“It calls on all of us to explore how food and agricultural policies make adequate nutritious food and healthy diets available while reducing tobacco production.
“Tobacco growing and production exacerbate nutrition and food insecurity. Tobacco farming destroys the ecosystems, depletes soils of fertility, contaminates water bodies and pollutes the environment. Any profits to be gained from tobacco as a cash crop may not offset the damage done to sustainable food production in low- and middle-income countries,” she informed further.
In addition, Moet disclosed that, “Nearly 828 million people are facing hunger globally. Of these, 278 million (20 per cent) are in Africa. In addition, 57.9 per cent of people in Africa suffer from moderate to severe food insecurity. This jeopardises the region’s attainment of SDG 2 which aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. The intensification of the major drivers behind recent food insecurity and malnutrition trends, such as conflict, climate extremes, and economic shocks, further compounds this situation. Therefore, our concerted actions are essential, so everyone has enough food.
“We face a grave challenge in food and nutrition security imposed by the increasing tobacco farming in the Africa Region. Available data shows that while the area under tobacco cultivation decreased by 15.7 per cent globally, in Africa, it increased by 3.4 per cent from 2012 to 2018. During this period, tobacco leaf production globally reduced by 13.9 per cent; however, it increased by 10.6 per cent in Africa. In recent years, tobacco cultivation has shifted to Africa because of a regulatory environment that is more favourable to the tobacco industry, as well as increasing demand for tobacco,” the WHO Director pointed out.
According to her, WHO is working with Member States and other partners to assist farmers in shifting from tobacco growing to alternative crops.
She thus urged governments in all countries to support tobacco farmers to switch to alternative crops by ending tobacco growing subsidies and using the savings for crop substitution programmes to improve food security and nutrition.
“Finally, we appeal to tobacco-growing countries in the Africa Region to step up the implementation of Articles 17 and 18 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control by enacting legislation, developing, and implementing suitable policies and strategies, and enabling market conditions for tobacco farmers to shift to growing food crops that would provide them and their families with a better life while enhancing the protection of the environment and the health of people,” Moet urged.
She insisted, “By doing this, we will be growing food, which our populations need, not tobacco.”
