Death Marketing -2

Tobacco farming expansion on Govt. care

Tobacco companies are expanding tobacco farming in the county using the trained IPM (Integrated Pest Management) farmers. After the Daily Jugantor report, about 200,000 farmers are using their IPM expertise to grow tobacco across the country. Notably, in the beginning of the IPM clubs, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and tobacco companies operated together, and currently it is anticipated that the tobacco companies still manipulate DAE - the government body formed for countrywide agricultural expansion. Since there is no Rules or Policies available to prevent tobacco farming, the tobacco companies have aggressively used to farmers to grow tobacco cultivation in the state, and DAE is backing up the tobacco cultivation expansion process. Consequently, the toxic plant is replacing the croplands alarmingly. The entire economy- especially food security, public health, forest resources, environment and ecology, soil fertility etc. are deteriorating rapidly. Though there is a Section on the amended tobacco control law about discouraging tobacco farming that cannot be enforced in the lack of Rules. The Section 12 of the amended TC law reads, “The government shall make necessary guidelines to promote for discouragement of producing and using tobacco products, and discouragement to set up industry of tobacco and tobacco related products, discouragement of producing tobacco related produces and farming”.