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Social responsibility leads BATB to greater heights

Stephen Daintith tells the daily star

M SHAMSUR RAHMAN
'Success and responsibility go together' is the motto that has driven British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB) to become one of the most successful multinational companies in Bangladesh.
BATB believes that a company should take up some responsibilities, like contributing to the social sector as well as economic development, to achieve real success.
"Such a motto has made us successful to be the number one taxpayer in the tobacco industry of Bangladesh," said BATB Managing Director Stephen Daintith in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star.
Stephen said his company contributed a total of Tk 1,671 crore in excise, VAT and taxes to the national exchequer in 2002.
BATB started operation in this part of the world in the pre-liberation period when it was known as Pakistan Tobacco Company. The company was renamed as Bangladesh Tobacco Company (BTC) after the liberation and again as BATB in 1998.
"We started with a meagre sale of cigarettes which stood at 16,688 million sticks in 2002," he said speaking on success of the company.
Stephen described the social responsibilities the company has so far taken up.
"To discourage underage smoking we launched in 2001 a campaign called youth smoking prevention," he said. In 2002, the Students' Anti-Smoking Committee (SASC) joined the campaign, followed by launching of a school education programme.
Besides, the company launched a star search programme in 1999 through which it was able to bring out the talents from the nook and corner of the country to the forefront.
"Many of them have established themselves in the music industry," Stephen said.
In the early stage, he said, the company identified low literacy rate in tobacco farming community, low awareness of environment, health and sanitation issues and financial insol-
vency of farmers as major areas which needed to be addressed.
By addressing such issues, the company has been able to help in turning one of the poorest regions of this country into one of the most productive regions, he claimed.
"Once known as one of the poorest zones of the country, Kushtia is now having high per capita income with least unemployment," Stephen said.
He said Kushtia was facing severe deforestation in early 80s but the launching of BATB's afforestation programme helped the farmers improve the situation there.
They are now maintaining a better life through selling of quality tobacco, growing their own vegetables and using better sanitation facilities, he added.
"From the very early stage of our operation
we have always concentrated in the development of the country, not just eyeing business opportunities," Stephen said.
"We have gained the highest recognition from the supreme authority of Bangladesh by receiving President Gold Medal in 1976 for our contribution in the agricultural sector."
The company also received Prime Minister's Afforestation Trophy 1993, Environment Health and Safety Award from 1995 to 1998, National Export Trophy 1999 and Prime Minister's first prize for afforestation in 1999 and 2002 from Bangladesh government.
In the international arena, BATB received the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Award for vegetable seed production in 1998.
Stephen said BATB has recently signed an agreement with Agro-based Technology Development Project II (ATDP II) with a view to help farmers grow export quality vegetables by using BATB expertise.
"We are also contributing to earn foreign currency through tobacco export, which was almost negligible even a couple of years ago," he said.
Explaining the company's achievement in information technology (IT), Stephen Daintith also takes pride in the BATB call centre known as GSD (group service delivery).
"Through this pilot project we provide IT services to different BAT operating companies in Middle East and Sri Lanka,' Stephen said.
BATB's call centre is a great example of multinationals spearheading the development of offshore outsourcing businesses in Bangladesh, he added
BATB also launched a free basic IT education centre called 'Dishari' in Kushtia a year ago. It has so far produced 76 students in IT applications.
A second Dishari centre has recently been opened in Moulvibazar. We hope to establish five such centres throughout the country by 2006 mostly in the region where there is less penetration of IT educated students," Stephen said.