Several surveys have already identified alternative crops for different cropping seasons and for different geographical areas. Alternatives include French beans, potato, melon, sweet gourd, chili, eggplant, groundnut, tomato, wheat, garlic, masur, mustard and leafy amaranthus, radish, coriander, okra, bitter gourd, beans, spinach and cabbage.
A report stated that farmers in water-scarce northern Bangladesh are shifting away from tobacco to grow tea, sunflower and mustard, which use less water and offer greater profits.
Strengthening leadership commitment
This Mayor's Summit aimed to enhance mayors' leadership role by prioritizing prevention of tobacco use, TB and NCDs, within the framework of strategic and operational planning, as well as in policy, fiscal, and legislative instruments. There need to be strong mechanisms to ensure that mayors and leaders at local level are held accountable for safeguarding the development and implementation of public health policies from undue influence of unhealthy commodity industries. This will involve promoting transparency, enforcing strict guidelines, and cultivating strong public-private partnerships to effectively implement programmes, while also monitoring their performance and effectiveness.
Shobha Shukla, Bobby Ramakant - CNS (Citizen News Service)
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