The belief that suki is a safer alternative to cigarettes has been dismissed by the Tobacco Community Enforcement Unit manager Maleli Baleiwera, who says tests showed it may contain higher nicotine levels.
Mr Baleiwera said public perception that suki was less harmful was incorrect and misleading.
“We conducted tests to analyse nicotine levels in both cigarettes and suki,” he said.
“The results showed that nicotine levels in suki are actually higher than those found in normal cigarettes.”
This misconception, he said, had contributed to increased use of suki, particularly in areas where tobacco cultivation is common.
“We recently had discussions at Valley Road in Nadroga, where much of the suki cultivation takes place.
“Community members shared that areas once known as the salad bowl of Fiji and are now increasingly shifting towards tobacco cultivation because of the demand for suki in the market.”
He said rising cigarette prices also contributed to the increasing demand for suki.
“This is one of the biggest challenges we currently face. When the price of cigarettes increases, the demand for suki also rises.”
He said they were looking at ways to address the issue, including exploring alternative crops or other uses for tobacco apart from smoking.
