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Farm mechanization urged for reducing tobacco production
The Ministry of Health has proposed that the minimum price of per stick of cigarette should be Tk9 while the Ministry of Agriculture has called for farm mechanization to decrease tobacco production.
Health Minister Zahid Malek, in a letter addressed to Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on April 10, made the proposal of increasing cigarette price in the upcoming budget.
In the budget for 2019-2020, the Ministry of Health has proposed introducing radical changes in the existing tax structure on all types of tobacco products including cigarettes.
It suggested that the price of low-priced cigarettes be increased by at least Tk4.
If approved, the prices of each brand of cigarettes, including Benson and Gold Leaf, will be increased by at least Tk8. Currently, per stick of Benson is selling at Tk12 and Gold Leaf at Tk8.
Now, per stick of cigarette is being sold between Tk5 and Tk12.
Farm mechanization to reduce tobacco production
“The production of tobacco will come down to zero per cent by 2040. If the agriculture sector is truly commercialized and modernized, society will be tobacco-free by 2040. Sustainable development goals will also be achieved through this process.” said Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzak on Sunday.
He said this in a seminar titled ‘Seminar and Tobacco Control Medal-2014’ organized by Anti-Tobacco National Platform in Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) auditorium in the capital.
Annually, the government revenue from companies producing tobacco and tobacco products is about Tk20,000 crore.
Currently, Bangladesh is 12th among the 20 tobacco producing countries in the world, China being the first.
Kushtia is the first among the tobacco producing districts of Bangladesh. Tobacco cultivation has increased from 145% to 213% from 2006 to 2017.
Experts say that farmers can earn more by cultivating vegetables than tobacco and if the production of tobacco can be stopped, it will help prevent the poverty cycle with development of agriculture, economic growth and climate change.
The use of tobacco in Bangladesh is extremely alarming. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2017, the total number of tobacco users in the country is 3.78 crore, which is 35.3% of the total population (15 years and above).
Around 22 million adult people use smokeless tobacco (SLT, viz chewing tobacco and tobacco dust and leaf) and 19.2 million are smokers (cigarette and bidi).
Among the tobacco users, extremely poor people (who can hardly bear the healthcare costs of tobacco-related deadly diseases) tend to use tobacco at a much higher rate than high-income people.
The rate of SLT use is much higher among women. Growing tobacco addiction among teenage groups is also a matter of grave concern.
The total loss of the country’s economy due to the use of tobacco is Tk2,600 crore.
Besides, life expectancy decreases by 10 to 20 years due to smoking and it is the second major cause of death in the world.
source (DT)
