Sandhani, an Independence Award-winning student organisation, on Wednesday called for an effective increase in tobacco prices in the fiscal year 2026-27 national budget to discourage tobacco use among young people.
The organisation proposed merging the low and medium cigarette tiers and setting the retail price of a 10-stick cigarette pack at Tk 100, along with a specific supplementary duty of Tk 4 per pack.
It also recommended setting the prices of high-tier and premium-tier cigarette packs at Tk 150 and Tk 200 respectively.
The demands were presented at a press conference titled “Effective Increase in Tobacco Prices to Discourage Youth Tobacco Initiation: Sandhani’s Budget Proposals for FY 2026-27”, held at the Jatiya Press Club.
The press conference was organised by the Sandhani Central Council with technical support from National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh.
Dr Humaira Jamil Him, Adviser to the Sandhani Central Council, delivered the welcome speech, while the keynote presentation was made by Dr Mukarrabin-Haq Nibir.
The event was chaired by Dr Sadikur Rahman Ifat, General Secretary of the Sandhani Central Council and an intern at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital.
Public health expert Dr Mushtaq Hossain and Prof Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury, Head of the Department of Epidemiology and Research at the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, also spoke at the event.
According to the keynote presentation, Bangladesh has the highest tobacco use rate among South Asian countries, with 35.3 percent of adults using tobacco products.
Around 37.8 million adults currently consume tobacco in the country, while tobacco use among adolescents aged 13-15 remains a serious concern.
Tobacco-related diseases cause nearly 200,000 premature deaths every year in Bangladesh according to The Tobacco Atlas, accounting for around 18 percent of total deaths nationwide.
Mushtaq Hossain said increasing tobacco prices through effective tax measures is one of the most effective ways to prevent young people from starting smoking.
He added that the proposed tax and price reforms could encourage nearly 500,000 adults to quit smoking and discourage more than 372,000 young people from initiating smoking.
In the long run, the reforms could help prevent around 370,000 premature deaths.
Sohel Reza Choudhury said young people make up nearly one-fourth of Bangladesh’s population, while tobacco use among people aged 18-24 stands at 22.3 percent.