Srinagar, Dec. 4 -- As per recent data by WHO, across the globe around 3.5 million hectares of land are converted for tobacco production each year, besides that growing tobacco also contributes to deforestation of around 2 lakh hectares of land per year.

As per another statement from WHO, tobacco growing is resource intensive and requires heavy use of pesticides and fertilizers, which contribute to soil degradation, besides that the land used for tobacco growing has a lower capacity for growing other crops, such as any food - since tobacco depletes soil fertility. And, compared with other agricultural activities such as maize growing and even livestock grazing - tobacco farming has a far more destructive impact on ecosystems as tobacco f...