LONDON, APRIL 24 (DNA): Recently unveiled study by London’s Imperial College on smoking, titled “Tobacco’s Global Ecological Footprint”, finds high tobacco production in underdeveloped countries, which is a major concern.

Referring to the study, Dr Aftab Madni, Dean of Indus University said, “Almost 90% of all tobacco production is concentrated in the developing world.”

Research shows that of the ten tobacco-producing countries, nine are developing, including four low-income food deficit countries (LIFDCs). “Pakistan falls in the category of LIFDCs,” he said.

Dr. Aftab Madni expressed concern that the easy availability of cigarettes has become a cause for these people to fall deeper into poverty.

He said the amount they spend on buying cigarettes can be spent on food and other essentials. He said Capital Calling has said the country should follow WHO guidelines for taxing tobacco.

Dean Indus University said PIDE, a government-run research institute, has reported that there are 24 million active smokers in the country.

He said the institute has mooted the following: “The total cost attributable to all smoking-related diseases and deaths in Pakistan in 2019 is Rs 615.07 billion ($3.85 billion), and the indirect costs (morbidity and mortality) constitute 70 percent of the total. cost. The total costs attributable to smoking are 1.6 percent of GDP, while the costs of cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases attributable to smoking are 1.15 percent of GDP.”

Dr. Madni said that according to some reports, 337,500 Pakistanis have lost their lives due to smoking.

He said these statistics are reason enough for the government to increase taxes on tobacco products. He also said that Pakistan has lost Rs567 billion in the last seven years just to facilitate two multinational cigarette companies.