BSS, Rangpur :
Speakers at a community workshop have said increasing tobacco cultivation creates threat to food security, agriculture, environment, ecology, economy, soil fertility and public health and forest resources.
Bangladesh Environment Lawyers’ Association (BELA) organised the workshop on “Tobacco Cultivation: Threat to Agriculture, Environment & Public Health” at Pushna United Government Primary School in Kishoreganj upazila of Nilphamari district on Friday.
Rajshahi and Rangpur Divisional Coordinator of BELA Tanmoy Kumar Sannayl moderated the daylong workshop and delivered keynote speech.
Sub-assistant Agriculture Officer of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) for Kishoreganj upazila Liyakat Ali attended the workshop as the chief guest.
Thirty male and female farmers of Pushna area under Kishoreganj upazila of Nilphamari participated in the workshop.
While delivering keynote speech, Tanmoy Kumar narrated the massive harms being caused by expanding tobacco cultivation towards national food security, public health, economy, soil fertility, bio-diversity, environment and ecology.
Citing statistics of the DAE, he said tobacco was cultivated on 4,385 hectares land in Nilphamari, 11,500 hectares in Lalmonirhat and 2,130 hectares land in Rangpur producing 38,751 tonnes tobacco during the last 2014-2015 season.
Beginning from the northern region, tobacco cultivation has been expanded to the Chittagong Hill Tracts increasing its annual production to 80,000 to 100,000 tonnes in Bangladesh alone against annual global production of 6.7 million tonnes.
Despite various efforts and motivational activities being conducted by the government, non-government and rights-based organisations, tobacco was cultivated on even more lands during the last season in the country, he said.
In the open discussion session, the speakers said tobacco companies have been promising attractive price and luring farmers through providing tobacco seed, seedling, fertiliser, pesticides, inputs and cash money binding them for cultivating tobacco.
The tobacco companies have been adopting newer techniques and providing lucrative incentives to attract the farmers for further spreading tobacco cultivation every year taking the advantage of lower market price of other traditional crops.
Tobacco cultivation reduces land fertility, decreases cereal food production posing threat to food security, increases many deadly diseases and liabilities of the farmers adversely affecting the environment, ecology and bio-diversity.
They said the government and citizens have been spending billions of Taka annually for tobacco-related health hazards and diseases compared to insufficient amount of revenue earned by the government.
Speakers at a community workshop have said increasing tobacco cultivation creates threat to food security, agriculture, environment, ecology, economy, soil fertility and public health and forest resources.
Bangladesh Environment Lawyers’ Association (BELA) organised the workshop on “Tobacco Cultivation: Threat to Agriculture, Environment & Public Health” at Pushna United Government Primary School in Kishoreganj upazila of Nilphamari district on Friday.
Rajshahi and Rangpur Divisional Coordinator of BELA Tanmoy Kumar Sannayl moderated the daylong workshop and delivered keynote speech.
Sub-assistant Agriculture Officer of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) for Kishoreganj upazila Liyakat Ali attended the workshop as the chief guest.
Thirty male and female farmers of Pushna area under Kishoreganj upazila of Nilphamari participated in the workshop.
While delivering keynote speech, Tanmoy Kumar narrated the massive harms being caused by expanding tobacco cultivation towards national food security, public health, economy, soil fertility, bio-diversity, environment and ecology.
Citing statistics of the DAE, he said tobacco was cultivated on 4,385 hectares land in Nilphamari, 11,500 hectares in Lalmonirhat and 2,130 hectares land in Rangpur producing 38,751 tonnes tobacco during the last 2014-2015 season.
Beginning from the northern region, tobacco cultivation has been expanded to the Chittagong Hill Tracts increasing its annual production to 80,000 to 100,000 tonnes in Bangladesh alone against annual global production of 6.7 million tonnes.
Despite various efforts and motivational activities being conducted by the government, non-government and rights-based organisations, tobacco was cultivated on even more lands during the last season in the country, he said.
In the open discussion session, the speakers said tobacco companies have been promising attractive price and luring farmers through providing tobacco seed, seedling, fertiliser, pesticides, inputs and cash money binding them for cultivating tobacco.
The tobacco companies have been adopting newer techniques and providing lucrative incentives to attract the farmers for further spreading tobacco cultivation every year taking the advantage of lower market price of other traditional crops.
Tobacco cultivation reduces land fertility, decreases cereal food production posing threat to food security, increases many deadly diseases and liabilities of the farmers adversely affecting the environment, ecology and bio-diversity.
They said the government and citizens have been spending billions of Taka annually for tobacco-related health hazards and diseases compared to insufficient amount of revenue earned by the government.
