Md,Mafiz Uddin Sarker, Rangpur

Tobacco cultivation along with other crops is now increasing strategically in Rangpur region. Farmers cannot be diverted from tobacco cultivation in any way. Rather, tobacco cultivation is constantly increasing in new areas. However, the District Agricultural Extension Office is strategically reporting to the Dhaka office every year by showing 'less in number'. Which has no resemblance to reality.

According to the information provided by the Rangpur District Agriculture Office, tobacco was cultivated in the district on 1,075 hectares of land in the 2023-24 Rabi season. However, information received from the Upazila Agriculture Office says that tobacco was cultivated in the district on 3,636 hectares of land. Tobacco cultivation has increased twofold in one year. According to the information sent from the District Agriculture Office to the head office in Dhaka, tobacco was cultivated on 1,075 hectares in the district in the 2023-24 Rabi season, 1,855 hectares in 2023, 1,885 hectares in 2022, 1,925 hectares in 2021, and 2,380 hectares in 2020. The information is being sent to Dhaka by showing less in number every Rabi season.

According to the information provided by the Rangpur District Agriculture Office, tobacco was cultivated on 10 hectares of land in the Rangpur metropolitan area in the 2023-24 Rabi season. However, according to the information from the Metropolitan Agriculture Office, tobacco was cultivated on 20 hectares only in the City Corporation area. This field-level information has no match with reality. Tobacco cultivation is widespread in various upazilas of Rangpur. Although 345 hectares are mentioned in Sadar Upazila, in reality more than three times more tobacco was cultivated in Sadar Upazila.

The Sadar Agriculture Office says that tobacco has been cultivated on 950 hectares of land. In Badarganj Upazila, 15 hectares were demanded, but this time it has been cultivated on 51 hectares of land. In this Upazila, 20 hectares were cultivated in the 2021-22 Rabi season, and 25 hectares in the 2022-23 financial year. The situation is also dire in Taraganj Upazila.

According to the information from the district office, 960 hectares of tobacco have been cultivated in this Upazila. The Upazila Agriculture Office says that tobacco has been cultivated on 1,995 hectares of land. In 2023, tobacco was cultivated on 800 hectares of land and in 2022, tobacco was cultivated on 765 hectares of land. Although tobacco was cultivated on 510 hectares of land in Gangachara Upazila, this year tobacco has been cultivated on 600 hectares of land. Tobacco has been cultivated on the vast cropland of Bala Pathar in Deulpara and Haripur villages of Mirzapur Union of Mithapukur Upazila. Tobacco farmers Khayruzzaman, Kuddus Mia, Bachcha Mia said that they have been buying tobacco at Rs 175 per kg from various cigarette companies for the past few years. They are also giving fertilizers, pesticides and advance money to tobacco farmers.

Tobacco has been cultivated on 20 hectares of land in Mithapukur Upazila. This does not match the information given by the District Agriculture Department. Farmers have cultivated tobacco on vast crop lands in various upazilas of the district. Although potatoes are cultivated in this area as a Rabi season crop, it has not had any impact on tobacco cultivation. Farmers are busy spending their time irrigating tobacco fields, collecting and drying the stalks. In addition to Wards 1, 2 and 3 of Rangpur City Corporation, Teestar Char of Gangachara Upazila, Paglapir, Mominpur and Shaleya Shah areas of Taraganj have been covered in greenery.

Farmers said that to encourage tobacco cultivation, tobacco companies are providing interest-free loans including fertilizers, seeds, pesticides to farmers. Rumors have been spread among farmers that the price of tobacco will increase this year. As a result, many are becoming interested in tobacco cultivation. Mofizul Islam, a farmer from the Mominpur area of Rangpur Sadar Upazila, said that 7-8 maunds of tobacco are produced in 1 bigha of land. It costs 15-16 thousand taka. Last year, we sold tobacco at 5 and a half thousand taka per maund. We have also received assurances that the price of tobacco will increase further this year.

The Deputy Director of the Rangpur Agricultural Extension Department said that we are working so that farmers reduce tobacco cultivation. Tobacco cultivation has been gradually decreasing in the last 5 years. We want to bring tobacco cultivation to zero. When asked whether the information provided by the Agriculture Department is correct, he said that our information is correct according to the information sent from the upazila. When the issue of agricultural disaster data not matching the upazila data was brought to his attention, he said that new statistics would be compiled.