Pakistani Experts Propose Replacing Tobacco With Food Crops

Due to the devastating floods in 2022 and the impact of the Russia Ukraine war on the global food supply chain, Pakistan is facing a serious food crisis. Experts believe that changing the current tobacco planting mode and shifting to crop agriculture to increase food production is a key measure to address food safety threats and health risks.
According to a report by Pakistani media UrduPoint on November 18th, experts in nutrition, agriculture, and the environment believe that Pakistan should replace tobacco with food crops. These experts say that this transformation can not only solve the food insecurity problem faced by more than one-third of the population.
According to data from the National Nutrition Survey of Pakistan, 36.9% of Pakistanis faced food insecurity in 2018. According to the Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Importers and Exporters Association (PFVA), the domestic floods and the Russia Ukraine war have plunged 2.5 million people into famine.
The association stated that Pakistan's agriculture currently relies on imported foods such as wheat, soybeans, chickpeas, garlic, and ginger. However, due to the widespread shortage of hard currency, it is difficult for importers to obtain letters of credit.
Waheed Ahmad, the director of the Family Food Agency, urged decision-makers to use the theme of this year's World No Tobacco Day to 'grow food, not tobacco'.
It is reported that tobacco is grown in four provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, and tobacco is an important component of the economy. Farmers grow approximately 30000 hectares of tobacco.
Taimur Khan, Secretary General of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Association for Excellence in Agriculture, suggested that if half of this area is converted to a new variety of garlic NARC G1, farmers will gain considerable profits.
Khan also questioned the economic contribution of tobacco cultivation, which is believed to bring in an annual revenue of 120 billion Pakistani rupees (approximately 4162.4 million US dollars).
He said that the cost of addressing the health impact of tobacco consumption is three times that of tobacco taxes.
By transforming tobacco cultivation into food production, we can create ripple effects, promote food security, improve public health, contribute to the overall well-being of our community, and benefit the environment
According to data from the National Health Service in 2018, nearly 23.9 million adults in Pakistan currently use tobacco in any form.
Industry critics believe that the theme of "growing food, not tobacco" creates a misconception of opposition, believing that tobacco and food production are not mutually exclusive.