Project Report on Crop Input and Tobacco Growing: a case of British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB) Company Ltd.

Abstract

Tobacco is one of the major cash crops of Bangladesh. At present tobacco is being exported to many countries around the world and the Government is earning huge amount of foreign exchange. So, it has a large impact on our economy. More than 0.2 million fanners directly earn their livelihood through the cultivation of tobacco and another 2 million are associated with the supply chain process. Kushtia region is one of the best belts for tobacco cultivation. Chemical fertilizers playa major role for any type of crop cultivation and for tobacco, its necessity is spellbound. So, it is very much necessary to ensure proper supply of chemical fertilizers to sustain the cultivation of tobacco in Bangladesh. Many tobacco companies are working for tobacco crop extension in the country. Among them British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BA TB) is the largest and leading company. British American Tobacco Bangladesh Company Limited is a public limited company incorporated in Bangladesh and its shares are quoted in the Dhaka and Chittagong Stock Exchanges. It holds the top position in the tobacco industry of Bangladesh. It manufactures and markets major international cigarette brands like Benson & Hedges, Pall Mall, John Player Gold Leaf and Viceroy which are complemented by local brands such as Capstan, Star and Scissors. The company also markets imported cigar brand called 'Dunhill' and exports processed leafto various countries around the world. In this report, at first I have tried to find out the present situation of chemical fertilizers in Bangladesh. For this purpose, some detailed information have been collected from Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) about the production, import, sales and distribution of various types of chemical fertilizers. Then I have tried to analyze BATB 's distribution process of chemical fertilizers to its registered farmers and its impact on tobacco growing. To do this, a survey was conducted on fifty tobacco farmers (25 registered and 25 unregistered). Unregistered farmers were surveyed for the comparison purpose. Some data also have been collected from various magazines and the website of BA TB. After conducting the survey, I have summarized the result and tried to make a comparison between registered and unregistered fanners. At last, some recommendations are given for both the Government of Bangladesh and British American Tobacco Bangladesh.