BANGLADESH
Cultivation of tobacco continues with increasing trend in Lalmonirhat as growers are getting lucrative offers from different tobacco companies.
Almost all the fields have been covered with tobacco at the villages in the district from January to April every year. Growers are showing much interest in farming tobacco as it is more profitable than other crops, said locals.
“Tobacco cultivation needs a lot of hard work. More fertilizer is required for applying in tobacco farming, but we are still benefiting from tobacco cultivation. As tobacco cultivation earns us good profit, we are giving importance to tobacco farming rather than other crops,” said Nabir Uddin, a farmer of Sarpukur village in Aditmariupazila. “Of course, the tobacco company supports us in many ways for the cultivation of tobacco. We get seeds and fertilizers free of cost,” he said.
Without the cooperation and assistance of the tobacco company, it would not be possible for them to produce quality tobacco, said Saber Ali, another farmer of the same village.
An official of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in the district said tobacco has been cultivated on 9,100 hectares of land this time, which was 8,950 hectares last year.
If the tobacco companies do not stop their activities, tobacco cultivation will increase in the district day by day, said journalist Majed Masud, a member of Lalmonirhat district unit of anti-tobacco Media Alliance.