BSS, Rangpur :
Anti-tobacco campaigners at a roundtable here have raised voice against tobacco cultivation and demanded for farming of suitable substitute crops replacing tobacco.
They put special importance on formulation of an effective tobacco farming control policy for combating inference of some tobacco companies to ultimately replace tobacco cultivation for saving many human lives, soil fertility and environment.
The opinion came at the roundtable styled “Tobacco farming policy: Expectations” jointly organised by Association for Community Development (ACD) and the daily ‘Khola Kagoj’ at its office in the city on Thursday afternoon.
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids extended assistance in arranging the roundtable with poriborton.com as the media partner.
Focal person of Rangpur Tobacco Control Coalition Shushanto Bhowmick presided over the event moderated by Project Coordinator of ACD Ehsanul Amin Emon.
Associate Professor of Begum Rokeya University Dr Tuhin Wadud, its Lecturer Umar Farooque, Metropolitan Agriculture Officer Mollika Rani, Chief Executive of MAPA Bangladesh Advocate Munir Chowdhury, General Secretary of Rangpur Press Club Ali Asharf, addressed, among others.
Dr Tuhin Wadud, also Director of the Riverine People, said some tobacco companies are making threat to agriculture, food security and environment through providing various lucrative incentives to the farmers for enhancing tobacco cultivation.
“Tobacco cultivation never plays any positive role for national development but causes huge harm and incurs loss to the economy creating barriers to achieve the set targets of the sustainable development goals,” he added.
Advocate Munir Chowdhury blamed the absence of an effective policy to discourage tobacco farming and said the tobacco companies are utilising the advantage aggressively in increasing tobacco cultivation.
“Some tobacco companies are providing various incentives to inspire and lure the farmers toward tobacco cultivation for more profits destroying land fertility and environmental balance,” he said.
Anti-tobacco campaigners at a roundtable here have raised voice against tobacco cultivation and demanded for farming of suitable substitute crops replacing tobacco.
They put special importance on formulation of an effective tobacco farming control policy for combating inference of some tobacco companies to ultimately replace tobacco cultivation for saving many human lives, soil fertility and environment.
The opinion came at the roundtable styled “Tobacco farming policy: Expectations” jointly organised by Association for Community Development (ACD) and the daily ‘Khola Kagoj’ at its office in the city on Thursday afternoon.
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids extended assistance in arranging the roundtable with poriborton.com as the media partner.
Focal person of Rangpur Tobacco Control Coalition Shushanto Bhowmick presided over the event moderated by Project Coordinator of ACD Ehsanul Amin Emon.
Associate Professor of Begum Rokeya University Dr Tuhin Wadud, its Lecturer Umar Farooque, Metropolitan Agriculture Officer Mollika Rani, Chief Executive of MAPA Bangladesh Advocate Munir Chowdhury, General Secretary of Rangpur Press Club Ali Asharf, addressed, among others.
Dr Tuhin Wadud, also Director of the Riverine People, said some tobacco companies are making threat to agriculture, food security and environment through providing various lucrative incentives to the farmers for enhancing tobacco cultivation.
“Tobacco cultivation never plays any positive role for national development but causes huge harm and incurs loss to the economy creating barriers to achieve the set targets of the sustainable development goals,” he added.
Advocate Munir Chowdhury blamed the absence of an effective policy to discourage tobacco farming and said the tobacco companies are utilising the advantage aggressively in increasing tobacco cultivation.
“Some tobacco companies are providing various incentives to inspire and lure the farmers toward tobacco cultivation for more profits destroying land fertility and environmental balance,” he said.
