About Qat, again [Archives:2004/788/Letters to the Editor]
Mohd Taufiq Ahmed
[email protected]
I am a Muslim expatriate living in Yemen since last one year and regular reader of Yemen Times. I would like to thank you, if you release my letter in your newspaper. It was nice to read the interview with Brother Shoukri Al Furais on 14/10/2004 regarding the Campaign against Qat.
I wish Yemen to be Qat free and Yemeni locals avoiding chewing of Qat to have better health and utilizing constructively the long hours wasted while chewing qat.I usually observe that great percentage of family income is being spent on QAT, which indirectly consumes the share of bread & butter deteriorating the living standard.
In order to make a better campaign, we should focus on our future, yes I mean our children. We should make it compulsory in all schools on daily basis to explain the consequences and hazards of QAT in morning assembly. Today's child is tomorrow's citizen. Imagine little children learning about Qat boycott may result as a revolution in future. If we cannot save the current generation from QAT,let us work for future generation.
Also there should be high customs duty imposed to discourage the QAT plantation and sales, making it very expensive for the locals to buy. Also to dislocate the QAT markets from city to outskirts making the availability of QAT more difficult.
Also to help & motivate the QAT farmers with alternate solutions of plantations of other crops like sunflower and others.
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