Context: Recently, World Health Organization (WHO) released the fourth WHO global tobacco trends report.
Key Highlights of the report

• Number of people using tobacco globally decreased and is expected to decrease more by 2025.
• There are 1.30 billion tobacco users globally, compared to 1.32 billion in 2015.
• This number is expected to drop to 1.27 billion by 2025.  
• In 2020, 22.3% of the global population used tobacco, 36.7% of all men and 7.8% of the world’s women.
• Trend in South East Asia: It has the highest rates of tobacco use (432 million users or 29% of its population).
• However, this is also the region where tobacco use is declining fastest.  
• One of the most effective tools for reducing tobacco use was taxation.
• However, the illegal tobacco trade has undermined the taxation policies.
• Illegal tobacco trade is a threat to public health as it increases access to often cheaper tobacco products.
• Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (ITP) came into force on September 25, 2018.
• It is the first legally binding instrument adopted under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and aims to be a co-ordinated international response to the problem of illicit tobacco trade.

Tobacco

• Tobacco, common name of the plant Nicotiana tabacum, is a cured leaf that is used, for smoking, snuffing, and extraction of nicotine.
• It is one of the most economically significant agricultural crops in the world.
• About 15 states in India grow tobacco, significantly influencing the economy and prosperity of the farming community.
• The production and processing costs of tobacco are also quite low in India, thus making the Indian tobacco price-competitive and value for money.
• It is a drought tolerant, hardy and short duration crop which can be grown on soils where other crops cannot be cultivated profitably.
• Tobacco cultivation in India was introduced by Portuguese in 1605.

Major producers: Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

• Gujarat accounts for 45 % of the area (0.13 M ha) and 30 per cent of production (0.16 M t). 
• Productivity is also highest (1700 kg ha-1) in Gujarat followed by AP.
• India stands second in tobacco production and exports in the world.
• Unique feature of tobacco production in India is that varied styles of Flue-cured Virginia (FCV) and different types of non-FCV tobacco are produced under diverse agro-ecological situations spread all over the country.

Climate: Though tobacco is tropical in origin, it is grown throughout the world.

• In India, tobacco is grown when the mean temperature is 20° to 27°C.
• When grown as rainfed crop, it requires at least about 500 mm of well distributed rainfall during crop growing season.
• It is not usually grown where rainfall exceeds 1200 mm during the season.

Soil: Generally, tobacco nurseries are grown on sandy or sandy loam soil.

• The cigarette-tobacco growing areas of Andhra Pradesh are an exception in that the crop is grown on a heavy black soil.

Raising of nurseries on heavy black soils is hazardous due to poor internal drainage caused by high clay contamination.
Tobacco prevalence in India

• According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) conducted in 2016–17, the overall prevalence of smoking tobacco use is 10.38% and smokeless tobacco use is 21.38% in India. 
• The most prevalent form of tobacco use in India is smokeless tobacco and commonly used products are khaini, gutkha, betel quid with tobacco and zarda.
• Tobacco use is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases, including cancer, lung disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke.
• It is one of the major causes of death and disease in India and accounts for nearly 1.35 million deaths every year.
• India is the second largest consumer and producer of tobacco. 

Government Initiatives

• Government of India enacted comprehensive tobacco control legislation (COTPA, 2003).
• India was among the first few countries to ratify WHO the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2004.
• FCTC enlists key strategies for reduction in demand and reduction in supply of tobacco.
• The National Tobacco Control Programme was piloted during the 11th Five Year Plan which is under implementation in 42 districts of 21 states in the country.
• The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) was also undertaken as part of NTCP
• It was the first ever dedicated household survey to study the prevalence of tobacco use among adults, exposure to second hand smoke, cessation and other tobacco related indicators in the country.
• India has actively contributed to drafting of guidelines as a member of the Inter Government Negotiating Body (INB) to curb the illicit trade of tobacco products.