An analysis from the World Health Organization shows raw tobacco leaf cultivation is increasing across Africa as cigarette imports double.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways:
- Contrasting Production Trends: Global tobacco-leaf production dropped by nearly 19% between 2012 and 2024, while production across Africa rose by almost 9% during the same timeframe, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
- Escalating Economic Costs: While exporting raw leaf, African nations saw their cigarette import expenditures more than double from US$ 833 million to US$ 1.77 billion between 2012 and 2024, WHO reported.
- Severe Occupational Hazards: Cultivating tobacco exposes agricultural workers to pesticide toxicity, tobacco dust, and green tobacco sickness caused by transdermal nicotine absorption, according to the analysis.
Tobacco-leaf production is dropping worldwide but continues to rise in Africa, according to a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO). The findings highlight growing risks for human health, farmer livelihoods, the environment, and sustainable economic development across the continent.
According to WHO, global production of tobacco leaf decreased by nearly 19% between 2012 and 2024, whereas African production increased by almost 9%. Over that same period, African spending on imported cigarettes more than doubled, increasing from US $833 million to US $1.77 billion.
“This is not just a tobacco-control issue. It is a health, trade, development and environmental issue,” said Dr Vinayak Prasad, head of the Tobacco Free Initiative at WHO. “Tobacco farming exposes workers and families to serious health risks, damages the environment and can trap farmers in cycles of debt. At the same time, African economies are spending more on imported cigarettes that fuel addiction, disease and premature death.”
Production Concentration and Economic Impact
The analysis indicates that Africa accounted for around 11% of global tobacco-leaf production in 2024, yielding more than 639,000 tonnes of leaf. The agency noted that production remains concentrated in five countries: Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Uganda. East Africa alone represents nearly 90% of total African tobacco output, according to WHO.
The data also challenge assumptions that tobacco agriculture is vital to most national economies. According to WHO, tobacco-leaf exports exceed 1% of gross domestic product (GDP) in only a small number of economies, including Zimbabwe and Malawi, while the health, social, and environmental costs remain widespread.
“Countries need support to move away from economic dependence on a product that harms health, farmers and the environment,” said Dr Prasad. “The data show why trade and development policies must be aligned with public health and sustainable development goals.”
Occupational and Environmental Hazards
Beyond economic implications, the report emphasizes direct occupational dangers for farmworkers, such as green tobacco sickness, which occurs when nicotine is absorbed through the skin during the handling of wet leaves. WHO also reported that workers face regular exposure to pesticides and tobacco dust, and that children in low- and middle-income regions often miss school to labor in fields to support household finances.
Furthermore, WHO documented environmental harms linked to tobacco farming, including soil degradation, heavy pesticide contamination, high water consumption, deforestation, and greenhouse gas emissions generated during the leaf-curing process. Under Articles 17 and 18 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the organization is calling on international partners to assist countries in diversifying away from crop cultivation to protect healthcare outcomes, agricultural communities, and natural resources.
