The World Health Organization (WHO) revealed this Friday that more than three million hectares of land are being used in more than 120 countries for tobacco cultivation, including countries where people are starving.
The data, expressed in a statement, comes on the eve of World No Tobacco Day, which will be commemorated next Wednesday, and is included in the report “Cultivate food, not tobacco”, released this Friday, which highlights the harmful effects of crop. of tobacco and the benefits of “more sustainable” crops for farmers, communities, economies and the environment.
According to the WHO report, Brazil and Mozambique are among the countries that grow the tobacco plant the most.
According to the UN agency, more than 300 million people in the world “face acute food insecurity”, while more than three million hectares of land in more than 120 countries are being used for “the cultivation of deadly tobacco”. , even in “countries where people are starving.”
The latest WHO data shows that tobacco growing areas are expanding in Africa, having increased by almost 20% between 2005 and 2020.
The “Grow Food, Not Tobacco” report highlights that Brazil, China and India contribute more than half (more than 55%) of the world’s tobacco cultivation. In the “top 10” of the most producing countries are Indonesia, Malawi, Mozambique, Turkey, Tanzania, the United States and Zimbabwe.
The WHO points out that the cultivation of tobacco causes diseases to farmers and that more than a million children who work in the plantations “are losing the opportunity to study.”
“Tobacco is not only a major threat to food insecurity, but also to overall health, including the health of tobacco growers. Growers are exposed to pesticides, tobacco smoke, and [no processo de cura das folhas] and as much nicotine as detected in 50 cigarettes,” WHO Health Promotion Director Ruediger Krech was quoted as saying in the statement, warning of health problems such as chronic lung diseases and nicotine poisoning.
Faced with the harmful effects of tobacco use, the World Health Organization urges governments to stop subsidizing the cultivation of the plant and support more sustainable agricultural crops that “could feed millions” of people.
“Tobacco is responsible for eight million deaths a year. However, the world’s governments spend millions to support tobacco plantations,” denounced the director general of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, quoted in the same statement, stressing that By choosing to grow food instead of tobacco, health is prioritized, ecosystems are preserved, and “food security for all” is strengthened.
Source: TSF
