Bangladesh Defense
Saif
Senior Member
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Date of Event:
Dec 29, 2025
Green farming in Thanchi encouraging
Discourage tobacco cultivation, promote green crops
It is heartening to learn that green crops are gradually replacing tobacco cultivation in Bandarban's Thanchi upazila. Reportedly, over the past few years, farmers have moved away from tobacco and embraced environment-friendly crops such as peanuts, beans, mustard, watermelons, and seasonal vegetables along the banks of the Sangu River. This shift is improving livelihoods while also protecting the hill ecosystems. It has also been found that green crop cultivation is economically more viable than tobacco farming, as farmers are earning better returns without inflicting the severe environmental damage associated with tobacco. At a time when tobacco cultivation and tobacco products are causing immense harm to both public health and the environment, this change in Thanchi is encouraging.
Reportedly, tobacco curing depends heavily on firewood, which accelerates deforestation, degrades hillsides, and damages soil quality. These practices have reduced wildlife habitats and intensified environmental stress in an already vulnerable region like Thanchi. Yet despite these costs, tobacco dominated the agricultural landscape of the area for decades as a primary cash crop. According to Indigenous farmers, tobacco cultivation involved high input costs, constant labour, volatile markets, and long-term damage to their land, prompting many to return to traditional, environment-friendly crops. Reportedly, tobacco occupied 85 percent of the net cultivable land in 2020–21, but this has declined to about 30 percent by 2025–26. This is an encouraging development that must be sustained.
Recent studies have also shown that tobacco imposes an enormous economic burden on Bangladesh, costing Tk 87,544 crore annually—more than double the revenue it generates through taxes. Health-related expenses alone exceed Tk 73,000 crore, while environmental damages add thousands of crores more, reinforcing the fact that tobacco drains national resources rather than strengthening the economy.
Encouragingly, the move away from tobacco in Thanchi is proving both ecologically and financially sound. Farmers have reported improved soil conditions, the return of birds, and increased wildlife movement in areas once stripped for tobacco curing, while peanut and other green crop cultivation offers lower investment requirements, easier maintenance, and more stable returns than the volatile tobacco market. Credit is also due to local agricultural authorities, who have worked year-round with marginal farmers to curb tobacco cultivation and promote green alternatives.
The transformation along the Sangu River shows that with the right policy support, farmers will willingly choose crops that protect both their incomes and the land. The government should, therefore, build on this momentum by providing training, quality seeds, access to credit, and improved market linkages. Using Thanchi as a benchmark, similar pathways towards environment-friendly traditional crops should be developed for other tobacco growing regions of the country. By consistently supporting green farming, the government can significantly reduce deforestation while ensuring sustainable livelihoods, particularly in ecologically sensitive regions.
Discourage tobacco cultivation, promote green crops
It is heartening to learn that green crops are gradually replacing tobacco cultivation in Bandarban's Thanchi upazila. Reportedly, over the past few years, farmers have moved away from tobacco and embraced environment-friendly crops such as peanuts, beans, mustard, watermelons, and seasonal vegetables along the banks of the Sangu River. This shift is improving livelihoods while also protecting the hill ecosystems. It has also been found that green crop cultivation is economically more viable than tobacco farming, as farmers are earning better returns without inflicting the severe environmental damage associated with tobacco. At a time when tobacco cultivation and tobacco products are causing immense harm to both public health and the environment, this change in Thanchi is encouraging.
Reportedly, tobacco curing depends heavily on firewood, which accelerates deforestation, degrades hillsides, and damages soil quality. These practices have reduced wildlife habitats and intensified environmental stress in an already vulnerable region like Thanchi. Yet despite these costs, tobacco dominated the agricultural landscape of the area for decades as a primary cash crop. According to Indigenous farmers, tobacco cultivation involved high input costs, constant labour, volatile markets, and long-term damage to their land, prompting many to return to traditional, environment-friendly crops. Reportedly, tobacco occupied 85 percent of the net cultivable land in 2020–21, but this has declined to about 30 percent by 2025–26. This is an encouraging development that must be sustained.
Recent studies have also shown that tobacco imposes an enormous economic burden on Bangladesh, costing Tk 87,544 crore annually—more than double the revenue it generates through taxes. Health-related expenses alone exceed Tk 73,000 crore, while environmental damages add thousands of crores more, reinforcing the fact that tobacco drains national resources rather than strengthening the economy.
Encouragingly, the move away from tobacco in Thanchi is proving both ecologically and financially sound. Farmers have reported improved soil conditions, the return of birds, and increased wildlife movement in areas once stripped for tobacco curing, while peanut and other green crop cultivation offers lower investment requirements, easier maintenance, and more stable returns than the volatile tobacco market. Credit is also due to local agricultural authorities, who have worked year-round with marginal farmers to curb tobacco cultivation and promote green alternatives.
The transformation along the Sangu River shows that with the right policy support, farmers will willingly choose crops that protect both their incomes and the land. The government should, therefore, build on this momentum by providing training, quality seeds, access to credit, and improved market linkages. Using Thanchi as a benchmark, similar pathways towards environment-friendly traditional crops should be developed for other tobacco growing regions of the country. By consistently supporting green farming, the government can significantly reduce deforestation while ensuring sustainable livelihoods, particularly in ecologically sensitive regions.
