Stop tobacco farming on paddy, jute fields
Conversion of fertile paddy and jute lands into tobacco farming has to be halted immediately and expansion of tobacco acreage has to be stopped in the country, demanded discussants at a roundtable in the capital yesterday.
Addressing the programme, State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan expressed deep concern at rapid expansion of tobacco cultivation and said, “We must stop conversion of paddy and jute lands into tobacco farming.”
Data were made available at the roundtable showing that national health costs due to tobacco-induced illness and health vulnerabilities is much higher than the amount of money state earns from tobacco tax.
Bangla daily Prothom Alo and anti-tobacco group Progga jointly organised the roundtable “Tobacco control law and tobacco-free environment” at the newspaper's office.
Lawmaker Fazilatunnessa Bappy called for making sure that state-provided farm input facilities do not reach tobacco farming. She expressed concern at promotional tetchiness of tobacco companies resulting in an increase in the number of young smokers.
Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman committed himself to devoting the paper's space for free to anti-tobacco campaigns. The daily's Associate Editor Anisul Hoque called upon the media to refrain from projecting any tobacco-consuming characters in drama as well as movie.
Other participants emphasised proper enforcement of tobacco control laws so that an environment is created where people would refrain from smoking in public and non-smokers also get relief from the health hazards caused by “passive smoking”.
Moderated by Prothom Alo Associate Editor Abdul Kaiyum, the roundtable was also addressed, among others, by Amin Ul Islam of National Tobacco Control Cell, law ministry Joint Secretary Mostafizur Rahman, Iqbal Masud of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, Dr Helal Uddin Ahmed, Dr Mekhala Sarkar and ATN Bangla News Editor Shahnaz Munni.
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