‘Tobacco cultivation threatens food security’

RANGPUR: Anti-tobacco campaigners at a meeting have blamed some tobacco companies for adopting various techniques in luring farmers in tobacco cultivation creating threat to food security, public health, environment and soil fertility, reports BSS.
They also stressed on ensuring pictorial warnings on packets of all tobacco products and strict enforcement of the amended Tobacco Control Act (TCA) and tobacco control laws to save many human lives from tobacco catastrophe. 
They made the observation at the regional meeting organised by Anti Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) for its members with assistance of Association for Community Development (ACD) at its Regional Office in Rangpur on Sunday afternoon. 
The ATMA member journalists of the print, electronic and online media from Rangpur region participated in the meeting with ATMA member Harun-Ar-Rashid in the chair.   
Project Coordinator of ACD Ehsanul Amin Emon narrated about the tobacco cultivation situation, different aspects and violation of the amended TCA, health hazards of smoking in public places and success achieved so far by ATMA in the anti- tobacco campaign.  Citing their recent survey reports, Emon blamed that some tobacco companies were 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 farmers to spread tobacco cultivation taking the advantage of lower market price of other traditional crops," he said.   

Tobacco cultivation threatens food security

RANGPUR: Anti-tobacco campaigners at a meeting have blamed some tobacco companies for adopting various techniques in luring farmers in tobacco cultivation creating threat to food security, public health, environment and soil fertility, reports BSS. They also stressed on ensuring pictorial warnings on packets of all tobacco products and strict enforcement of the amended Tobacco Control Act (TCA) and tobacco control laws to save many human lives from tobacco catastrophe. They made the observation at the regional meeting organised by Anti Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) for its members with assistance of Association for Community Development (ACD) at its Regional Office in Rangpur on Sunday afternoon. The ATMA member journalists of the print, electronic and online media from Rangpur region participated in the meeting with ATMA member Harun-Ar-Rashid in the chair. Project Coordinator of ACD Ehsanul Amin Emon narrated about the tobacco cultivation situation, different aspects and violation of the amended TCA, health hazards of smoking in public places and success achieved so far by ATMA in the anti- tobacco campaign. Citing their recent survey reports, Emon blamed that some tobacco companies were 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 farmers to spread tobacco cultivation taking the advantage of lower market price of other traditional crops, he said.