A good sign
Awareness of health hazards has put farmers in Rangpur off farming tobacco, though it was profitable, leading to the drop of acreage by almost one-third last year from that in 2012-13.
According to statistics of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Rangpur, tobacco was cultivated on around 4,500 hectares of land in 2012-13, which was the highest ever in the district. But then the acreage of tobacco has declined as farmers have been gradually switching to other crops despite challenges.
Tobacco farming began spreading in Rangpur after 1971. It is now produced in Rangpur sadar, Haragachh, Taraganj and Gangachhara upazilas.
Sixty-year-old Mozammel Hossain, of South Zigagari village in Taraganj upazila, started cutting down on his tobacco farming area two years ago. Three years back he cultivated tobacco on two acres of land that has been reduced to just 33 decimals this year.
“Workers no more want to work on tobacco farms for the health hazards [they pose].”
They feel sick after long hours in tobacco fields, Mozammel said, which was why he decided to grow any crop but tobacco.
Like him, many other farmers decided to switch to other crops from tobacco.
In 2013-14, the acreage of tobacco in Rangpur dropped to 2,522 hectares, the next year to 2,130 hectares and then to 1,595 hectares in 2015-16.
Abdul Zalil, aged 32, of Lalchandpur village in Rangpur sadar, stopped farming tobacco altogether in 2014 when he realised that its smell was affecting his family members.
“Feeling dizzy is a common thing among tobacco farmers,” he said.
Ayub Ali, another farmer of the same village, suffered huge loss this year as he tried for the first time to grow potato, other than tobacco, on his 50 decimals of land. His potato field was damaged by late blight, deadly fungal disease of potato plant.
But still he will not go back to tobacco farming because of the risks it poses to public health, Ayub said.
Even two or three years back, vast areas of tobacco fields could be seen on both sides of the highway from Dhaka to Rangpur of Dinajpur but now other crops have occupied portions of them, said Aminul Islam, a schoolteacher of Rangpur, who frequently visit Dinajpur by his motorcycle.
In a recent visit, The Daily Star correspondent saw farmers growing vegetables, wheat, mustard, cotton, potato and maize on their land instead of tobacco.
Nurunnabi Lal, an elderly farmer of Gangachhara upazila, has been producing pumpkins on char area of the Teesta river, where he once produced tobacco.
Asad Mia, of Sarai village under Haragachh upazila, said he began cotton farming instead of tobacco on his three acres of land last year.
“I got profit and am expecting more this season,” he said.
Local and international tobacco companies encourage tobacco farming by providing farmers with seeds and fertilisers and purchasing the produce directly from farmers, said farmers who didn't want to be named.
Tonmoy Sanyal, coordinator of the Rajshahi office of Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association (Bela), said his office had carried out an extensive survey on tobacco farming in Rangpur region.
Bela held several meetings too with farmers to draw their attention to the negative impacts of tobacco farming.
“More farmers would cut down on their tobacco acreage if other organisations come forward to run anti-tobacco farming campaign in the region,” Tonmoy said.
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