Tobacco is a source of income for some

Tobacco’s contribution as a cash crop is way higher than any other crop in Uganda.

A lot of debate has been generated recently by anti-tobacco activists in support of the proposed Tobacco control Bill currently in Parliament. The debate is geared towards extreme control of smoking and tobacco use. It is very emotive and rarely gives room for diverging views.

We need to approach the tobacco debate, not just as a health matter, but also as an economic and livelihood issue. Uganda is an exporter of tobacco; it accounts for four per cent of all exports and generates over Shs154 billion) in revenue. More than 75,000 farmers grow tobacco.

These farmers are spread over 25 districts in Uganda,
Tobacco’s contribution as a cash crop is way higher than any other crop in Uganda.

At the end of the day, we must come up with a law that is both practical and enforceable.

Hanson Katureebe,
Mbarara