Speakers at a dialogue urged the government to assist tobacco cultivators financially to switch over to alternative crops instead of the health-hazardous one and demanded a strong policy to curb tobacco farming.
Policymakers, researches, development experts, and media people were present at the dialogue, titled-"Aggressive Expansion of Tobacco Farming in Bangladesh: Risks and Responsibilities", held at the CIRDAP auditorium in the city Tuesday, said a press release.
The Anti Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA), a platform of the journalists against tobacco, organised the dialogue.
Parliamentarian from Dhaka- 9 seat Saber Hossain Chowdhury said tobacco farming is threatening the food security, hampering the public health, destroying the forests, damaging the environment and ecology, making the soils infertile and barring children's education.
"It is leading the country to a disaster. Therefore, it is very important to inspire the farmers to switch over to other crops instead of tobacco, and formulation and implementation of tobacco farming control policies," he said.
Mr Chowdhury has also suggested formation of a National Platform for the purpose and also urged to place the Draft Tobacco Farming Control Policy Bill at the National Parliament by March next.
BIDS Professorial fellow Dr M Asaduzzaman pointed out the multi-dimensional damages by tobacco and said that tobacco is destroying 1-2 per cent of the National GDP annually.
He urged the Finance Ministry to take necessary steps to stop the credit programmes by the tobacco companies to the farmers for encouraging the health-hazardous crop production.
Fazilatun Nasa Bappy, MP, Mohammad Nobi Newaz, MP, and Abul Kalam Mohammad Ahsanul Haque Chowdhury, MP, Bangladesh representative of the Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) Taifur Rahman, Editor of the Daily Shokaler Khabar Mozammil Hossain spoke on the occasion.
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