By Rosemary Tukundane
Tobacco growing and manufacturing was introduced in the 1920s by British American Tobacco (BAT) and Uganda is now an important player in the East African tobacco industry.
It has an advantage in that it is a drought resistant and grows under non-irrigated conditions.
Biryomumisho Paul a cattle , poultry farmer and a father of 6 children from Fort Portal city Kabarole district said that most people take growing tobacco commonly known as taaba in local language for granted but it is a magical crop with both economic and health and social importance to the grower.
My focus today will be on the social and medicinal benefits which calls upon every farmer and parent to go for tobacco growing,
- Dry tobacco leaves are chewed by mothers and water squeezed out into a baby’s mouth which heals stomach pain. Paul continued that this has been manifested by most mothers from rural areas one of the reasons why babies from villages don’t over fall sick.
- Dry tobacco leaves or smoked wet leaves help to control nauseous feeling to vomit.
- In Ankole traditions, a bundle of dry tobacco leaves together with local breweries was taken to a girl’s place for dowry mostly for the grand parents of the bride for smoking .
- Fresh leaves are used by goat farmers in rural areas as first aid to goats that have diarrhea most especially when the animals have eaten cassava meant for flour , fresh leaves are blended and juice is given to the goats as aid to prevent death.
- Blended fresh tobacco leaves juice is mixed with red pepper and locally given to sick poultry chicken to get well in mailgrams depending on the age of the chick.
Tobacco growers on a large scale is a great source of money because it’s the raw material for making cigarettes a kilogram of quality tobacco is bought at shs.4500 by traders.
