Tobacco growing increased

New areas in the Lalmonirhat district of Bangladesh have been put under tobacco during the current season, according to a story in The Daily Star.
To encourage the cultivation of tobacco on land where previously it was not grown, tobacco companies are said to have given free seeds to farmers in five upazilas (villages) and assured them that their tobacco would be bought from their doors, at fair prices.
The Star said that sources working with tobacco companies in Lalmonirhat had said that 20,000 acres of land had been brought under tobacco cultivation this year, up from 10,000 acres last year.
Aditmari Upazila Agriculture Officer Ali Noor said farmers were not encouraged officially to grow tobacco because it was harmful for the soil, the environment and health.
But because the soil in the district was suitable for tobacco farming, tobacco companies provided support for farmers to grow it.