On track to be tobacco farm free

Jhenidah farmers are quitting the tobacco trade en-masse. Thanks to the efforts of NGOs and social organisations in staging rallies, seminars and awareness campaigns, the hazards associated with growing tobacco are increasingly well-known. As a result, the area of land dedicated to the crop is declining across the district. Yet, due to incentives from tobacco companies and favourable crop prices some farmers persist.

“My son forbids me to grow tobacco,” says farmer Badsha Mia from Hiradanga village in Jhenidah sadar upazila. “He says tobacco is poisonous and harmful for health.” Badsha Mia's son Sazan Hossain is a Higher School Certificate student of KC College in Jhenidah.

“But I grow tobacco anyway,” the farmer continues, “because of the good prices. I want to give it up as many neighbours have done. We know it is harmful. There has been a lot of anti-tobacco publicity in the market.”

Kawsar Ali is another Hiradanga farmer who still grows tobacco. “The tobacco company helps me in farming it,” he says. “I've been growing tobacco for three years and this year I cultivated 3 bighas of land with tobacco at a cost of Tk 1.5 lakhs. The company gave fertiliser and ensures a good sales price.” He will sell his tobacco for around Tk 150 per kilogram this year, expecting a total profit of Tk 1.2 lakhs.

Farmer Shamser Ali of Enayetpur village in Kaliganj upazila on the other hand has personal experience to turn him away from tobacco. “I used to smoke a hookah pipe and for some years I have suffered coughing and respiratory disease. I had two cardiac arrests that required long periods of treatment. Never again in my life will I smoke or grow tobacco.”

According to Jhenidah's agriculture extension department, 925 hectares in the district was planted with tobacco in the 2014-15 year, down from 1370 hectares a year earlier. The decline continued into 2015-16 with 795 hectares planted, while in the 2016-17 year only 660 hectares is being dedicated to tobacco. For the last two years Kotchandpur upazila, one of Jhenidah's six upazilas, has been entirely free of tobacco cultivation.

Some of the remaining tobacco farmers in sadar upazila told The Daily Star they are attracted to the crop due to the profits on offer which are better than with other crops; besides, they are paid for an entire tobacco crop in a single instalment. For them, these benefits yet outweigh concerns about the hazards.

“We are continuing efforts to encourage farmers to resist tobacco,” says Sayed Shafikul Islam, who works for a local anti-tobacco NGO. “We are still working towards increasing public

awareness of its harmful effects through publicity, meetings and rallies. Tobacco farming should be gone from the district within one or two years.”

“NGOs and other organisations are trying to rid Jhenidah of the menace of tobacco farming,” says Jhenidah's agriculture extension department deputy director Shah Akramul Haq. “Due to publicity about its damaging consequences we have already seen significant reduction.”