The farmers are expecting bumper production of tobacco as the ‘harmful cash crop’ grows excellent amid favourable climatic condition now in Rangpur Agriculture Region, farmers and officials said.
The initial harvest of the crop has already begun and the process will get full momentum from March next, Horticulture Specialist of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam said today.The farmers have cultivated the crop in vast tracts of fertile land this season after getting repeated bumper productions and excellent price in the previous seasons with lucrative assistances extended to them by tobacco companies to increase production.According to DAE sources, tobacco cultivation has increased during the current 2013-2014 seasons than the last year as the framers have cultivated the crop on 19,064 hectares land this time against 17,828 hectares of the previous 2012-2013 seasons in the region.The farmers had cultivated tobacco on 12,696 hectares land during the 2011-2012, 19,050 hectares during 2010-2011 and 33,500 hectares of land during 2009-2010 seasons in Rangpur Region.This season, the farmers have cultivated tobacco on 2,522 hectares in Rangpur, 11,385 hectares in Lalmonirhat, 240 hectares in Gaibandha, five hectares in Kurigram, 4,905 hectares in Nilphamari, seven hectares in Dinajpur, the sources said.Besides, the riverside and char people have cultivated tobacco on vast tracts of the charlands and dried up beds of the Teesta, Brahmaputra, Dharla, Ghaghot and other riverbeds in the region this season, local sources said.Talking to BSS, renowned rice scientist and Associate Director (Agriculture) of BRAC International (South Asia & Africa) Dr M A Mazid said tobacco farming still poses a serious threat to cereal crop production, national food security, human and soil health.He suggested for more effective steps to discourage tobacco farming as the farmers could earn more profits through cultivating wheat, sugarcane, hybrid variety mustard and other winter crops in relay methods with other crops using the latest technologies.Without knowing the harmful impacts to the soil, environment and human health, the farmers are being inspired in farming tobacco by a section of tobacco companies posing a real threat to major cereal food productions, environmentalist Dr MG Neogi said.Farmers Ayub Ali, Abdul Khaleque, Yasin Ali, Esahaq Ali, Abul Hossain of Kathihara village here said they have cultivated tobacco on one to three acres land and expecting bumper production of the crop to earn a net profit of Taka 70,000 per acre this season. -BSS
