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ALTERNATE JOB

Microcredit for tobacco growers soon

UNB, Dhaka
Health and Family Welfare Minister Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain has said a microcredit project will be launched soon for the tobacco farmers to discourage tobacco production.
The minister said this while addressing a press conference at the Press Information Department (PID) yesterday.
The news conference followed the passage of the Smoking and Tobacco Product Usage (Control) Bill, 2005 in the current session of the parliament, restricting smoking at public places and public transports.
WHO Country Representative Khaled Hasan, UNFPA Representative Sunita Mukharjee and Director General (DG) of Health Abdur Rahman were, among others, present at the press briefing.
Mosharraf said a large portion of land in the country, particularly the northern region, are used to produce tobacco, which should not be encouraged anymore.
The government has a plan to popularise the production of maize and potato as alternative crops to tobacco as farmers in the northern region are very much familiar with these two crops, the minister said.
He said the tobacco farmers had already showed their interest to refrain from farming tobacco, but it would take time to start the process.
"I have talked to a good number of tobacco producers over the government plan for producing maize and potato. They have assured me that they will stop the tobacco production if the government gives financial support to them," the minister said.
He urged people to strengthen the anti-tobacco campaign for maintaining a healthy environment.
Mosharraf had piloted the Smoking and Tobacco Product Usage (Control) Bill-2005, which aimed at discouraging smoking and sale of cigarettes and tobacco products in the country.
The public places where smoking has been prohibited include educational institutions, government, semi-government and autonomous offices, libraries, lifts, hospitals, clinics, court buildings, airports, sea and river port buildings, railway stations and bus terminal buildings, ferries, cinema halls, covered exhibition centres, theaters, children's parks and other places designated by the gazette notification. Rickshaws, uncovered boats and vans will remain out of the purview of the law, the minister said.
The bill prohibits advertisement of tobacco products in movie
houses, government and private TV channels, sale of videotapes containing tobacco products, publication of ads in books, magazines, leaflets, handbills, billboards and newspapers.
Thirty-percent of the packets of all kinds of tobacco-related products must carry an anti-tobacco message with colorful and well-visible ads, according to clause 10 of the newly passed bill.
The person or company, who will violate the clause, will be sentenced to three months of imprisonment or be fined at least Tk 1000.