(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Some say no other crop offers so much money, others point to the hundreds of people who earn their livelihood on these farms. But with an official ban looming on the horizon, everyone agrees that it is time for Oman's tobacco farmers to look at other options.
''The Ministry of Health (MoH) hopes that tobacco growing in Oman will eventually be banned,'' said Dr Jawad Ahmed al Lawati, director, department of non-communicable diseases control, MoH.
''But the MoH is working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MoAF) on this front. A committee has been formed at MoAF and various options are being discussed. Alternate crops are being evaluated and soft loans could be given to farmers as an incentive to stop growing tobacco.''
Yet, it will be a tough decision for these farmers who harvest 500-600 tonnes of tobacco every year to earn huge profits.
''A 35,000sq m farm can produce tobacco worth RO25,000 every year,'' Ibrahim Mohamed al Balouchi, a former tobacco grower from Shinas in North Batinah, said. ''No other crop can generate such revenues.''
According to the 60 year old, who has been in the business for 26 years and now exports tobacco to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, ''Most tobacco growers in the region are expatriates nowadays, as local youth prefer office jobs. But Omanis still benefit from leasing out their lands, or getting involved in packaging and exporting tobacco.''
Ahmed bin Ali al Shihi, who runs a tobacco farm in partnership with a Bangladeshi expatriate, agrees that no other crop can match tobacco in terms of revenue. ''A ban would threaten the livelihoods of citizens in North Batinah and Dakhliyah as there are no alternatives. I bought a desalination unit for RO23,000 and tried to grow vegetables but we just couldn't make a profit so we went back to growing mostly tobacco.''
The owner of a neighbouring tobacco farm, an Omani, echoed Shihi's views. ''I installed a RO16,000 desalination plant on my land,'' he said. ''During this time of year, I grow tobacco as well as chilies and tomatoes. I sell my tomatoes for 200bz per crate of approximately 7kg and I have piles of rotting tomatoes because even at that price, no one seems to want them. We pack green chillies in large cardboard boxes, usually used for bananas, and they are still sold for only RO1 per box.''
As for alternative crops, the farm owner said, ''After tobacco, the most lucrative crop I've grown is cauliflower.''
A tobacco shop owner in Shinas expressed a similar opinion. ''Citizens of North Batinah and Dhahirah would suffer if the authorities ban tobacco growing.''
Explaining the farming process, he said, ''Most of the tobacco sold in my shop comes from land owned by my uncle. The tobacco is grown on a farm spread across an acre and a half. After the harvest (in June), the leaves are taken to mountainous areas where they are hung upside down on lattices made of stripped date palm leaves. The drying is usually done away from coastal areas which can be too humid.''
Yet, these tobacco growers are aware of the logic behind the move to ban tobacco farming in Oman and the dangers posed by their crop to users' health.
''Many people in Oman and abroad would suffer if growing tobacco was banned,'' a Bang-ladeshi farmer said. ''Hundreds of expatriate farmers make a living growing tobacco in Oman. I started out as a farm hand eight years ago.
''My family in Bangladesh pooled enough money so that I could lease a small plot of land two years ago. It's a lucrative business for the landowners, the farmers and the wholesale merchants.''
However, he added, ''I realise that smoking causes health complications, and as soon as I find an alternative crop which is as lucrative, I will start growing
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