Smokeless tobacco items are emerging as 'silent killer' due to hike in cigarette prices with smokeless tobacco industries remaining out of the purview of the country's formal economy.
The majority of smokeless tobacco industries remain out of the government's tax net as they run businesses in non-formal sector, an unregulated sector having no well-established industry.
The government is increasing tax both on smoking and non-smoking tobacco products every year, but tax collection from chewing tobacco remains insignificant.
In 2013-14, the government received tax worth Tk 10 million from 'jarda' while Tk 5.0 million from 'gul'. There is 15 per cent Value Added Tax and 60 per cent Supplementary Duty on the products.
With the gradual increase in taxes on cigarettes, many small and makeshift shops started selling chewing tobacco to the smokers who want to shift to smokeless tobacco.
Although both smoking and smokeless tobacco are harmful to health, people of the least developed countries including Bangladesh and India are at high health risk of smokeless tobacco.
Gul, jarda, sadapata and khainy are known as smokeless tobacco that largely consumed by the low income group of people.
"We found it a substitute for cigarette as many smokers cannot afford cigarettes after price hike," said Abul Mollah, a makeshift shop owner in city's Purana Paltan area.
He started selling gul and jarda along with cigarettes recently as the prices of cigarettes increased substantially ahead of the national budget.
"Sales of gul and jarda have increased in recent times as many smokers, especially senior citizens, quit smoking cigarettes following its price escalation," he said.
The smokeless tobacco has been produced informally mainly at households.
 "It is difficult to locate the chewing tobacco producing factories to net those for collection of taxes," said a senior tax official.
The government's effort is going on to stop tobacco consumption through tax policy measures, but it is difficult for smokeless tobacco as it remains in informal sector, he added.
On 29 April 2013, the Jatiya Sangsad passed the Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill, incorporating smokeless tobacco under the definition of tobacco.
Anti-tobacco activists and health experts said inclusion of smokeless tobacco in the definition of tobacco items will protect more than 13 million women from possible health hazards and aware them of its harmful effects.
"Smokeless tobacco causes oral cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, increases blood pressure and heart rate and negative reproductive outcomes such as an increased risk of having a low birth weight infant," according to WHO.
Dr Syed Mahuzul Huq, technical officer, tobacco control of World Health Organisation (WHO), said there is social denial on cigarettes as everyone recognises and is aware of health hazards which are absent in case of smokeless tobacco.
"On a social occasion, people are still entertaining guests with that poison," he said.
Mass awareness is needed to raise concern over the issue as it is consumed by both male and female, he added.
   doulot_akter@yahoo.com
Smokeless tobacco sales boom after cigarette price spike
Doulot Akter Mala | Published: May 15, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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