More poor farmers turning to tobacco cultivation

Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts are new additions to tobacco farming

Although fertile land across the country is shrinking, tobacco farming is increasing day by day, mostly because the government is not taking proper initiatives to stop tobacco cultivation and encourage farmers to cultivate other crops.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension, a total of 108,000 hectares of land have been brought under tobacco cultivation this year, 38,000 hectares more than the last, while farmers cultivated tobacco on 70,000 hectares of land.

Of the total land, 40,000 hectares of land was in Kushtia, 28,000 hectares in Bandarban, 30,000 hectares in Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat and 10,000 hectares in Rangpur.

Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts are new additions to tobacco farming; interestingly however, tobacco farming has seen a reduction in Rangpur, an area which has seen much success in the past.

Currently, many farmers are not interested to cultivate paddy and winter crops on their land as they often do not get fair prices because of poor marketing and transport.

Unlike the government, many tobacco companies are providing various facilities to farmers so that they feel encouraged to cultivate tobacco.

Most tobacco farmers earn more profit from their production as they are convinced by the prices tobacco companies offer.

Tobacco farming needs a huge amount of fertiliser and poor farmers often receive credit from tobacco companies to buy the fertilizer.

In many cases, these companies give advance money and agri-inputs, including fertiliser and seeds to farmers, to encourage them in the cultivation.

“Tobacco companies give me all kinds of inputs, fertilisers and pesticides, in advance to cultivate and finally buy my produce,” said Abdul Latif, a farmer of Lama Upazilla in the hill district Bandarban.

“Poor farmers like me who do not have ability to meet the expenditure of farming materials are receiving advance money from tobacco companies to cultivate their land,” he said.

He said he had brought two acres of his land under tobacco cultivation this year.

In addition, some farmers, who have ability to cultivate their farmland with their own resources, are also engaged in tobacco farming as it gives them guarantee of sale of their farm production.

Zamal Khondker, a farmer of Dowlatpur area of Kustia, who used to cultivate sugarcane even five years ago, had faced many obstacles in selling his agri-produces.

“Like me, many farmers have started tobacco cultivation simply because there’s more money in it,” he said.

In Bangladesh, tobacco is generally cultivated in Rabi (dry) season which is approximately in between November and March.

British American Tobacco (Bat), Dhaka Tobacco and some other local companies are engaged in making farmers interested in tobacco farming to ensure supply of raw materials.

The DAE itself is worried about the growing trend of tobacco cultivation as it may reduce the acreage of the country’s major cereal crop Boro paddy and other seasonal crops, including wheat, maize and pulse.

“We have already taken different initiatives, including creating awareness on the negative impacts of tobacco, among the farmers to check the increasing trends of tobacco cultivation,” said Abul Kalam Azad, deputy director (Cash crops) of the DAE.

Farida Akhter, executive director of Ubinig, said the rising trends of tobacco cultivation is a result of government’s poor initiative as it failed to ensure fair prices of agri-produces, which leads the country towards infertility.

Farida urged the government to demarcate the area of agriculture land to ensure country’s food sufficiency.

The government should impose a ban on tobacco cultivation for food security of the country, she opined.

Abdul Wahab, an official of BAT, Bandarban, acknowledged that they were helping farmers in tobacco cultivation.

He, however, said they did not force farmers to cultivate tobacco in their land rather they are creating opportunity for farmers.

According to the DAE, Kustia, the government has taken “Greater Mujibnagar Project” to discourage farmers in tobacco cultivation.

Through the project, the department will create enthusiasm among farmers so that they feel interested to cultivate tobacco on their land.

Source: Dhakatribune,21 january 2014