PESHAWAR:Speakers and participants in a seminar, called for sustainable tobacco control interventions and strategic policy actions to provide alternatives for tobacco-free farming and strengthening food-growing crops to meet the food crisis.

The seminar was organized by a local non-governmental organization Blue Veins, in Peshawar in commemoration of World No- Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2023.

The seminar brought together key government and non-government tobacco control stakeholders who are actively involved in tobacco control initiatives including Government line departments, District Administration Peshawar, policymakers, members from civil society, Alliance for Sustainable Tobacco Control, subject experts, media, and academia.

This year WHO has deplored that 3.2 million hectares of fertile land across 124 countries are being used to grow deadly tobacco – even in places where people are starving.

According to WHO, nine of the 10 largest tobacco cultivators are low and middle-income countries and tobacco farming compounds these countries’ food security challenges by taking up arable land.

WNTD 2023 is marked with the campaign theme “Grow food, not tobacco,” focused on promoting alternative crop production and marketing opportunities for tobacco farmers in efforts to transition to sustainable crops.

The 2022 Global Hunger Index ranks Pakistan 99th out of 121 countries in food insecurity. According to the ranking, Pakistan faces a serious level of hunger. The national nutrition survey conducted by the nutrition Wing of Ministry of National Services Regulation and Coordination (MoNHSR&C), Government of Pakistan in 2018 showed that 36.9 percent of the population faces food insecurity.

The recent massive floods 2022 also plunged an additional 2.5 million people in Pakistan into extreme hunger, reaching an all-time high of 8.6 million Pakistanis.

The participants of the seminar highlighted tobacco cultivation majorly contribute into exacerbating food crisis, already been impacted by socio-economic, and political crisis, inflation, humanitarian and climate change crisis.

Redirecting resources and support towards alternative crops, can be critical to motivate individuals to prioritize spending their spending on nutritious food rather than harmful tobacco products.

“Tobacco growing is linked with persisting poverty as well as other adverse environmental, health and social impacts.

Available data indicate that 50.8 % Pakistani households spend monthly income on food while 45% on tobacco use.” said Sana Ahmad, Program Coordinator Blue Veins.

“By transforming tobacco farming to food production, we can create a ripple effect that promotes food security, improves public health, and contributes to the overall well-being of our communities” she added.

One of the key highlights of the seminar was the launch of a campaign in collaboration with District Administration Peshawar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tobacco Control Cell aiming to facilitate the Government Department in displaying ‘No Smoking’ signages in respective public buildings, creating smoke-free environments and promoting a culture of tobacco control.

Ms. Zainab Naqvi, Additional Assistant Commissioner Headquarters said, “Tobacco control is a multisectoral issue and its critical for all stakeholders to join together in efforts around it.

The launch of the campaign for Signage display in public places will mark an important step towards compliance to existing legal and policy tobacco control measures and creating a healthier and tobacco-free environment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa”.

Recognizing the multiple positive impacts for food security, economic stability, environmental and public health, and sustainable development, Misbah Waheed Additional Assistant Commissioner Peshawar expressed full committed to support effective compliance as well monitoring to existing measures in district Peshawar.

Mian Attiq Ur Rehman Public Health Activist and member Alliance for Sustainable Tobacco Control said, “The harm caused by tobacco reaches much further than what many of us think – besides causing over 8 million deaths from noncommunicable diseases, it’s a major driver of global hunger.

This year’s World No Tobacco Day is urging all stakeholders to address the issue and promote food farming to meet the urgent needs of food.