Speakers have called for increased efforts to expose the deceptive tactics of the tobacco industry, emphasizing the need to protect public health.
The call was made during a two-day journalist workshop, which concluded on Wednesday.
A total of 51 journalists from print, television, and online media participated in the workshops, organized by the research and advocacy organization Progga (Knowledge for Progress) and the Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) at BMA Bhaban in the capital.
Speakers highlighted that despite tobacco use claiming 161,000 lives annually in Bangladesh, tobacco companies refuse to take responsibility for the immense loss of life caused by their products. Instead, they continue to employ various deceptive tactics to obscure their impact.
They stressed that a vigilant media is crucial in exposing the true intentions of the tobacco industry.
During the workshop, it was revealed that tobacco companies recently sent letters to advisers of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs, presenting what speakers described as “fabricated information” to support their claim that amending the tobacco control law would negatively affect government revenue.
However, speakers argued that the reality is quite the opposite.
Citing data from the National Board of Revenue (NBR), they pointed out that following the enactment of the first tobacco control law in 2005, revenue from the cigarette sector increased by 17.97% in FY 2005-06 and 37.52% in FY 2006-07. Similarly, after the 2013 amendment to the tobacco control law, revenue from the cigarette sector saw significant growth—25.51% in FY 2013-14 and 46.52% in FY 2014-15—proving that stricter regulations do not harm revenue collection.
Speakers also refuted claims that amending the tobacco control law would lead to job losses.
According to the 2021 Wholesale and Retail Survey conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), there are 1,539,000 retail shops in Bangladesh.
However, only 196,341 of them sell tobacco alongside food, drinks, and other consumables.
This, they argued, indicates that the tobacco industry has exaggerated employment figures to mislead policymakers.
It was also noted that in 2021, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare initiated efforts to amend the tobacco control law to align it with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).
Speakers emphasized that consulting tobacco companies and their lobby groups on public health policy would be a clear violation of FCTC Article 5.3.
Bangladesh was among the first countries to sign the WHO FCTC in 2003.
Additionally, they highlighted how tobacco companies manipulate the national budget process each year to gain trade advantages.
Speakers alleged that factory owners finance so-called bidi workers' protests against price hikes rather than addressing demands for livable wages and a hazard-free work environment.
Furthermore, they accused the industry of influencing public opinion by commissioning columns and opinion pieces from economists aligned with their interests and by persuading influential figures to issue DO (Demi Official) letters in their favor.
It was also disclosed that the prevalence of tobacco use among individuals aged 15 and above stands at 35.3%.
A 2019 study by the American Cancer Society revealed that in FY 2017-18, the financial loss due to medical expenses and lost productivity amounted to Tk30,560 crore—far exceeding the Tk22,810 crore in revenue generated by the tobacco industry.
Speakers concluded by reiterating that an informed and proactive media is the strongest safeguard against industry misinformation and manipulation.