Paraphrase this sentences in your own words.

Chewing betel nut, a mild stimulant, is a widespread and growing cultural practice throughout Papua New Guinea.

Betel nut is the country’s most important domestic cash crop, supported by a large, complex, and often lucrative trade, which is today the most visible manifestation.

Its consumption produces the voluminous amounts of red saliva splattered across the country’s roads, walls, posts, bins, offices, and buses, and has deleterious health consequences, not dissimilar to smoking tobacco.

Selling betel nut, despite its ubiquity, has also commonly been viewed as an illegitimate livelihood practice.

Betel nut bans are not a new thing; town authorities in Port Moresby and other urban centres have touted and imposed bans in various forms intermittently since at least the 1970s.

The law prohibits the sale, consumption and spitting of betel nut in public places within the NCD, including villages and settlements, although it does not mention sales within private residences.

Sales are to be restricted to a number of locations so that betel nut markets should be outside of the city and selling has been restricted to designated markets within the city limits.

There are clear public health and aesthetic benefits to regulation, but the fear and loathing that has driven the ban has seen it imposed without adequate consideration given to the full implications, particularly the impact on people’s livelihoods.

For both urban and rural Papua New Guineans, betel nut earnings are often equal to or exceed those from formal employment and export cash cropping.

The National Capital District (NCD) Commission’s fervent attempt to clean up the city has failed to appreciate the glitter of this green gold of the grassroots.

1 answer

Chewing betel nut, which acts as a mild stimulant, is a common and increasingly popular cultural activity across Papua New Guinea.

It serves as the country’s leading domestic cash crop, backed by a substantial and often profitable trade, which is now the most visible aspect of this practice.

The act of consuming betel nut generates large quantities of red saliva that can be found splattered on roads, walls, posts, bins, offices, and buses throughout the country, and its health impacts resemble those associated with tobacco use.

Despite its prevalence, selling betel nut is frequently regarded as an illegitimate way to earn a living.

Betel nut bans are not a recent phenomenon; local authorities in Port Moresby and other cities have intermittently introduced and enforced various restrictions since at least the 1970s.

The law currently prohibits the sale, consumption, and spitting of betel nut in public areas within the National Capital District (NCD), which includes villages and settlements, but does not address sales in private homes.

Sales are limited to specific locations, meaning that betel nut markets must be situated outside the city, and within the city limits, sales are confined to designated markets.

While there are clear public health and aesthetic advantages to regulation, the fear and aversion that have led to the ban have resulted in its implementation without fully considering the broader consequences, particularly regarding people's livelihoods.

For many urban and rural residents of Papua New Guinea, income from betel nut often rivals or surpasses that from formal jobs and cash crops for export.

The National Capital District Commission's strong efforts to tidy up the city have overlooked the value of this grassroots "green gold."