Human chain to protect tobacco and bidi industry

Tobacco farmers, traders, and Bidi workers formed a human chain in Lalmonirhat demanding five points to protect the domestic tobacco and Bidi industry.

The human chain was held in front of the Lalmonirhat District Commissioner’s office at 11 am on Sunday.

At the end of the human chain, they presented a memorandum containing five-point demands to the Prime Minister through the Lalmonirhat District Commissioner.

The demands include - a reduction of tariff from Tk 18 to Tk 16 on bidis in the forthcoming 2023-24 budget, checking all revenue evasion identifying fake bidi factories running without licenses, preserving the rights of the farmers, ensuring fair price of tobacco while selling to foreign multinational companies and stop the aggression of multinational tobacco companies under control.

Speakers said tobacco farming and bidi preparation is one of the oldest traditional trades of Rangpur region. Thousands of workers including the helpless, disadvantaged, extremely poor, and physically handicapped and widows make a living by working in the bidi factories.

But the country’s ancient labour-intensive industry is being destroyed by the conspiracy of foreign multinational cigarette companies. There were around 200 bidi factories in Rangpur region but the number has declined sharply over the past years due to the trickery of foreign companies and excessive taxation.

Tobacco farmers have to incur losses in farming due to the closure of the local bidi factories. Foreign companies are taking advantage of the situation and holding the farmers as victims. The company compelled the farmers to sell their produce to them at low prices.

The speakers urged the Prime Minister’s intervention to stop the aggression of the multinational companies and to preserve the rights of bidi workers, farmers and traders.