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Today I had the opportunity to travel to Phetchabun province. I had heard the story by Khun Vichittra Booncheng (a public health academic staff working at the Health Promotion Hospital, T. Baanteaw, A. Lomsak, Phetchabun province) of farmers living in several villages in T. Bannteaw having switched their careers to grow other plants instead of tobacco even though they had grown tobacco since their ancestors time. For this reason, the question arises, why have these farmers switched their careers to grow other plants such as asparagus while cigarette companies emphasize that tobacco is an important business plant and can help farmers earn good incomes and bring happiness to their families
Growing tobacco is a traditional way of life

After arrival, Uncle Boonhan Sritao was the first person I spoke with. He is the leader of those that grow asparagus instead of tobacco. Uncle Boonhan is a former village headman of No. 11 Moobaan Phakakheo T. Baanteaw. He told me that people living in Phetchabun province have grown tobacco for several hundred years and growing tobacco is likely a symbol of this province. Most families in this sub district grow tobacco. Uncle Boonhan used to grow tobacco (Barley) as well on his field of 5 rai, and delivered his tobacco leaf to tobacco factories. He has known tobacco farming since he was young and his parents also grew tobacco. He told me that growing tobacco requires the use of insecticides and other chemicals to kill slugs and caterpillars.

For fertilizer, sometime tobacco companies provide fertilizer to tobacco farmers, while some tobacco farmers found their own fertilizer for their tobacco farms. Khun Kum Thongwan, a president of a community volunteer, revealed that when growing tobacco, tobacco plants get disease and this causes a bad smell (tang) which disturbs farmers families and neighbors day and night. Moreover, working on tobacco requires farmers to finish putting tobacco leaf on strings until late night because if farmers cannot finish putting tobacco leaf on strings, they are unable to collect new lots of tobacco leaf the next day. To collect tobacco leaf requires a lot of energy to process tobacco leaf. Tobacco farmers have debt every year. To invest in tobacco farming does not require a high investment and requiring a budget of approximately 10,000 baht per rai for a one time cultivation investment. Tobacco is normally cultivated once a year. Tobacco growing provides high profit and has a certain market demand. Thus, only 2-3 of 130 families do not want to grow tobacco. Not only do farmers in this area grow tobacco, they also grow rice in different areas for their own demand.

The Future for People Living in Phetchabun
By Piyarat Nimpitakpong 1, Vichitra Boonchaeng 2, Champunuch Aunsri 1 and Wannaporn Seateaw 1
1 The Operative Research Unit and Tobacco Control Research, 2 The Health Promotion Hospital, T. Baanteaw, A. Lomsak, Phetchabun province