Tobacco blamed for deforestation
TREE cutting for tobacco curing, cooking and charcoal has contributed to deforestation in West Nile, the Arua district forestry officer has said.
By Frank Mugabi
TREE cutting for tobacco curing, cooking and charcoal has contributed to deforestation in West Nile, the Arua district forestry officer has said.
Edison Adiribo said tobacco, a cash crop, requires a lot of firewood to cure.
“The degradation has been exacerbated by the high demand for firewood and charcoal,†Adiribo said during the launch of an agro-forestry project in Arua town recently.
The project is a partnership between the Nile Trans-boundary Environmental Action Project and Arua Rural Community Development, an NGO.
It also promotes cultivation of red chilli as an alternative source of income among tobacco farmers in Arua and Maracha/Terego districts.
TREE cutting for tobacco curing, cooking and charcoal has contributed to deforestation in West Nile, the Arua district forestry officer has said.
Edison Adiribo said tobacco, a cash crop, requires a lot of firewood to cure.
“The degradation has been exacerbated by the high demand for firewood and charcoal,†Adiribo said during the launch of an agro-forestry project in Arua town recently.
The project is a partnership between the Nile Trans-boundary Environmental Action Project and Arua Rural Community Development, an NGO.
It also promotes cultivation of red chilli as an alternative source of income among tobacco farmers in Arua and Maracha/Terego districts.