Tobacco cultivation to be banned by 2020 | Page 2 | Daily News

Tobacco cultivation to be banned by 2020

 

Tobacco cultivation will be banned by 2020, Health and Indigenous Medicine Minister Rajitha Senaratne said today.

He said this while responding to a question by UNP MP Buddhika Pathirana in Parliament.

The Minister, observing that about 30,000 persons are currently involved in tobacco cultivation, said a programme is in place to introduce alternate crops to cultivators. 

He said the sale of cigarettes within a 500 metre radius of schools will also be banned, adding that the Cabinet approved the proposal in this regard recently.

He added that the sale of single stick of cigarette would also be banned shortly, adding that this proposal also received the Cabinet approval. 

“Thereafter if anybody wants to buy a cigarette, he should buy a carton. Plain packing will also be introduced in the near future. All these steps are intended to discourage smoking. Sri Lanka received the accolades of the World Health Organization for strict action taken by the Government to discourage smoking,” he said.

The Health Minister added that tobacco and liquor companies are not allowed to carry out Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects as per the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act.

However, he pointed out steps to discourage liquor consumption should be initiated by the Finance Ministry, as it falls under the Finance Ministry’s purview.      


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