Bangladeshi Tobacco Farmers Have Credit Lines Cut

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 04/22/2010

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) has banned lending to the leaf tobacco sector, according to a story in The New Nation. The central bank, in a circular issued yesterday, directed all banks not to provide any individual or institution with new credit facilities for growing tobacco. The BB said it had issued the circular after considering the adverse impact of tobacco on individual health and society in general. Banning tobacco lending would allow funding increases to farmers growing food crops, it added. The bank directed all banks to increase the flow of credit to farmers growing alternative crops in traditional tobacco farming areas. Enditem