Govt mulls ban on tobacco farming
The government is seriously considering banning tobacco cultivation to produce additional food grains on cultivable land for ensuring food security, Food and Disaster Management Minister Abdur Razzaque said yesterday.
“We would be able to produce additional rice on our cultivable lands by restricting tobacco cultivation. The price of one lakh tonnes of rice is Tk 550 crore, which is more than the budget of many ministries,” he said at a function at Hotel Ruposhi Bangla in the capital, reports UNB.
Tobacco companies claimed they contribute a huge amount of revenue to the government exchequer, but time has come to consider how much revenue we get from tobacco companies and how much rice we import every year, Razzaque said.
State Minster for Law Quamrul Islam said the government has decided to enact a strong anti-tobacco law to check tobacco consumption and protect the people from the deadly consequence of tobacco use.
“Tobacco Control Law 2005 will be amended in near future to stop tobacco cultivation,” he said.
The Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) and PROGGA, Anti Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) and Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids jointly organised the function marking the World No Tobacco Day 2011.
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