The Power of Food: Breaking Free from Tobacco Addiction.
We need food , not tobacco – THIS IS THE THEME FOR THIS YEAR’S WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY.
It is estimated that tobacco is grown in around 125 countries and about 4 million hectares of cultivable land is used for this purpose. A lot of pesticides and fertilizers are used to cultivate good quality tobacco. This decreases the soil fertility and destroys the available cultivable land.
To address this issue , WHO has penned this year’s theme for WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY AS WE NEED FOOD, NOT TOBACCO.
The agenda is to coordinate and educate the tobacco farmers about alternative crops that can be grown instead of tobacco. This is not only going to reduce and restrict tobacco farming; but also help in increasing the growth of other food grains.
We are also facing extreme food shortage; maybe because of improper management and economy. Adding to this was the Covid pandemic which brought everyone to dire straits.
We all know the hazards of tobacco on our health. On the pack itself it is captioned that “tobacco kills”. Hopefully this initiative by the WHO will bring lot of reforms in farming, restrict tobacco farming, and meet the demands of food shortage.
So friends, let us pledge on this WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY to say no to this harmful substance for the betterment of future generations. Let us unite and give them a better world to live in.
