Geneva, 26 May 2023 (dpa/MIA) - The World Health Organization (WHO) called for an end to government subsidies for tobacco farming in many countries on Friday, citing the harm it does to people's health.

"Tobacco is responsible for eight million deaths a year, yet governments around the world spend millions supporting tobacco farms," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said ahead of World No Tobacco Day, marked on May 31.

"By choosing to grow food instead of tobacco, we prioritize health, preserve ecosystems, and strengthen food security for all," he said.

The WHO highlighted European countries that grow tobacco in a report, including North Macedonia, which is among the 20 most important tobacco exporters in the world. There, tobacco cultivation receives subsidies of up to $2,507 per hectare, while wheat is supported with a maximum of $269.

In Switzerland, tobacco farmers received more than $32 million in subsidies between 2015 and 2020, the report says.

In the United States and Argentina, several hundred million dollars of taxpayers' money each flowed into tobacco cultivation during this period, according to the report.

In total, tobacco plants grow on 3.2 million hectares in 124 countries worldwide, with many farmworkers falling ill from the extremely high nicotine exposure.

"The tobacco industry traps farmers in a cycle of dependency," said Rüdiger Krech, a German WHO expert.

Corporations advance money to cover the high costs of seeds, fertilizer and herbicides but these are then paid by farmers at the end of the season, creating a cycle of debt and dependence.