City Desk :
Taking advantage of loopholes in the Smoking and Usage of Tobacco Products (Control) Act (2005), tobacco companies resort to ill tactics such as incentivizing and even pressurizing dealers and vendors in different forms to display and promote their products at points of sale found a recent study conducted by Voices for Interactive Choice and Empowerment (VOICE) titled “Tobacco Companies’ Interference on Tobacco Advertisement, Promotion and Sponsorship (TAPS) at Point of Sale(POS) in Dhaka city”. The study findings were disseminated on Wednesday at a press briefing held at Dhaka Reporters Unity.
Supported by Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), the study recommends that the Smoking and Usage of Tobacco Products (Control) Act (2005) should be strengthened to ban product display at Points-of-Sale.
The press event was attended by Prof Dr. AFM Ruhal Haque, MP, former Health Minister, Prof Dr. Habibe Millat, MP, Mursalin Nomani, president of Dhaka Reporter Unity; Mostafizur Rahman, lead policy adviser of Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK). Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, Executive Director of VOICE moderated the occasion.
In the keynote presentation, Zayad Siddiki, project coordinator of VOICE told that the tobacco companies are encouraging tobacco sales by leveraging various marketing and advertising tactics. Tobacco companies also give awards and attractive gifts, like essential home appliances, beds, almirah, bicycles, pressure cookers, rice cookers, blenders, and luxury items like gold coins, LED TV, air conditioner, refrigerator, and gift vouchers based on their sales performance.
He added that they offer “Best Seller” awards each year for top performers. Both British American Tobacco (BAT) and Japan Tobacco International (JTI) also offer incentives- such as celebratory dinners and free trips at home and abroad for dealers, wholesalers, and vendors.
When launching new products, tobacco companies do rampant marketing through public relations agencies, including spot marketing and distributing marketing materials on a large scale with complete disregard to the tobacco control law.
