Bangladesh’s interim government has called on the next parliament to endorse the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance 2025, after senior advisers accused tobacco companies of mounting heavy pressure to block stricter regulations. Speaking at a Dhaka meeting Monday (January 26), Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum and Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter said the ordinance—approved by the advisory council in December—expands the definition of tobacco products and tightens controls on emerging items, despite industry lobbying and revenue concerns. The advisers alleged coordinated efforts by tobacco firms to delay or dilute the measures, criticized government shareholdings in tobacco companies, and opposed plans by Philip Morris Bangladesh to set up a nicotine pouch factory without environmental clearance. Officials cited stark public health costs, noting Bangladesh records an estimated 564 tobacco-related deaths daily and annual economic losses of Tk 87,000 crore ($713 million) versus Tk 40,000 crore ($348 million) in tobacco revenue.
