TOBACCO:

Farming bad as smoking

Manjari Peiris

Tobacco cultivation is not only harmful to its users, but can prove equally detrimental to the farmers and their families, research in Sri Lanka, reveals. Fifty farmers in three districts who grew tobacco for 15-20 years and then switched to other crops were chosen at random from 200 farmers in three districts to respond to a survey.

The research was sponsored by the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) under the umbrella of a project funded by the Bloomberg Initiative.

Today about 13,000 farmers in Sri Lanka grow tobacco.

The survey found that enticements offered by the tobacco industry in Sri Lanka were a major factor in attracting farmers to grow tobacco.

Alternative crops

Provisions of seeds, agro chemicals, extension services and purchasing of the produce were part of the package offered to the farmers by the industry. Farmers had accepted this arrangement because, initially, it made tobacco growing more profitable than farming other crops.

In the early stages, inputs were inexpensive and a high price was paid for the produce, so farmers were able to make a good profit. However, as the soil fertility began to decrease, and the price of labour increased simultaneously, the farmers’ profits dropped. Soon, the anxiety of falling profits coupled with the physical exertion associated with tobacco farming became unbearable, said the farmers, and they gradually shifted to growing alternative crops.

Most of the land previously used to grow tobacco has been converted to alternative crops. The best performers have been pepper and coffee, in the hilly slopes, and – in dry areas – an assortment of pulses/grains (cowpea, mung beans, corn), fruit (banana and papaya) and various vegetables.

The farmers report that the major benefits of leaving tobacco to farm other crops have been freedom from excessive physical and mental strain, more leisure, reduction in production cost, increase in real income, ability to consume their produce at home and the ability to sell their crop competitively in the open market.

The change has also improved farmers’ socio-economic status. Initially, they earned a good income growing tobacco, and reinvested their returns on tobacco cultivation. However, the increasing cost of production, coupled with a drop in income over time, reduced their profit margin. Farmers reported that when they switched to alternative crops, their income started to improve. Among the reasons cited for the change:

*The relatively lower cost of production associated with these crops, relative to tobacco;

*The availability of a competitive market for their new produce, and;

*The possibility of storing crops till they could fetch a higher price.

Therefore, it can be inferred that alternative crops fetch a better income than tobacco.

Health problems

Compared to tobacco, the alternative crops had a bigger positive impact on farmers’ savings potential. The lower maintenance cost associated with the alternative crops helped farmers to save money.

Consequently, the amount that they spend in other businesses and investments has increased since they stopped growing tobacco. The farmers and their families reported improved health after switching to alternative crops. Growing tobacco necessitated heavy use of chemicals and stacking tobacco leaves, which produced offensive odours and dust, which in turn caused many health problems among family members. Shifting to alternative crops resulted in ‘mental peace’ among farmers and their family members. In summary, one can safely infer that growing alternative crops instead of tobacco, within the parameters studied, contributed positively to the social and economic improvement of farmers’ families.

The study recommends that it would be prudent not to encourage tobacco cultivation. As a first step, further allocation of land for tobacco growing should be stopped. Similarly, current tobacco farmers - estimated at roughly 13,000 - need to be made aware of the health and social consequences associated with tobacco cultivation, and provided details about growing alternatives. A support scheme should be introduced to encourage tobacco farmers to cultivate alternative crops to sustain their livelihood, the report concludes.