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Tobacco Production To Be Cut By Half

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The government is working on a plan to halve tobacco cultivation in 10 years to enable and encourage farmers to diversity to other crops in view of the health risks associated with tobacco consumption.The Tobacco Board is doing the groundwork for reduction of tobacco cultivation while a detailed package is being worked out to provide compensation to farmers, government sources said. The move is in line with steps taken by US, EU and Australia to curtail production of tobacco considered a major cause of cancer and related ailments.

The compensation plan for tobacco farmers will require more than Rs. 2,400 crore. One proposal being considered is to levy a 5 paise cess on each cigarette stick, which could yield nearly Rs 500 crore per annum. This money would be used to encourage farmers to switch from drought resistant, risk averse crops to other farm produce. The government is in touch with agricultural colleges and institutes to decide on the crops that could be grown in the same climatic conditions as tobacco.

From the health point of view, curtailing tobacco is important. The Tobacco Board is taking proactive steps to divert tobacco consumption to non-carcinogenic uses in pharma, for which research is on in US universities.

The government has already made smoking in public places a punishable offense. The health ministry is also understood to be keen to ban import of cigarettes and tobacco products. On the production phase-out plan, a detailed note is being circulated within the government.

Source: Economic Times

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Tags: cancer, health, health ministry, tobacco, tobocco board