The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: To reduce cultivation of Tobacco and highlight the Economic implication of Tobacco cultivation in Nigeria. This discussion of smoking in Nigeria focuses on the cultivation of tobacco and the economics of tobacco smoking. The cultivation of tobacco in Nigeriahas been encouraged in recent years by multinational companies, especially British American Tobacco thus avoiding import duty on raw materials and conservation of scarce foreign exchange.

Methods: The effort focuses on creation of awareness of the dangers in tobacco smoking. It also emphasise the problems that the cultivation of tobacco can create on the long run on the health of the people

Provision of alternative crops that can bring economic returns like cassava, rice, and otehr food crops that have economic benefits rather than tobacco

Results: Many farmers are now having the awareness of the dangers they may contribute to the society by their growing of tobacco and majority of them tend to concentrate on growing another food crops in replacement of tobacco

Since the fight against cultivation of tobacco can be won only by planned action. Recently, farmers are introduced to programs such as block farms among tobacco growers. Farmers are now encouraged to grow other crops as well as tobacco, especially those related to food, in small land holdings.