'An absolutely legal business in Bangladesh': Bida boss on approving nicotine pouch factory

Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) and Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza) Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun defended allowing Philip Morris to produce nicotine pouches locally, despite criticism from rights groups and anti-tobacco campaigners.

He said, "I am a representative of the government, and I serve the people. The mandate given to me by the people operates under the Constitution and the law. And the law tells me, this is an absolutely legal business to do in Bangladesh."

Philip Morris Bangladesh Limited has been granted approval to set up a full-fledged factory in the Meghna Industrial Economic Zone in Narayanganj. It has been learned that Philip Morris Bangladesh will initially invest $5.82 million in the project.

Ashik Chowdhury added, "Those who are saying this permission should not have been given are, of course, speaking from their conscience, and they have every right to do so. But the government has a policy, a framework, and it is meant to operate according to the law. If I start making decisions based on my personal judgment, and if every policymaker does the same, then the government will no longer function the way it is expected to behave."

Speaking to The Business Standard, Chowdhury Ashik said, "I'm not getting into the technical or knowledge gap debate – whether a 'pouch' is worse than a bidi, or what exactly a pouch is. There's a global discussion around this. You've seen that many countries are moving in certain directions – some are saying, let's phase it out gradually. But it's not as if we can shut everything down overnight."

He continued, "I'm not entering that debate. People can and should discuss and debate these issues. I have my own personal opinions too. But I'd rather ask – should our focus be there, or on job creation? There are many competing national priorities that need to be balanced."

"Putting all that aside," he said, "my first question is, am I not an officer of the Government of Bangladesh? According to the country's industrial policy and laws, is there anything that prohibits setting up this factory? If the law does not bar it, then how can I, based on my personal judgment, refuse to approve it?"

Approval breaches Supreme Court's directive: Activists

Anti-tobacco activists held a protest rally in front of Beza's head office in Agargaon, Dhaka, today (6 November), demanding the cancellation of the approval of the nicotine pouch factory.

The nicotine pouch is a new trap set by tobacco companies; it is used by placing it inside the mouth, creating addiction in young people, the protesters said.

"As it is highly addictive and harmful to health, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued warnings, and 34 countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, and France have already banned this product," a statement issued by the protesters added.

The event was jointly organised by the Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance and Bangladesh Tobacco Control Advocates (BTCA). Among those present at the protest were Iqbal Masud, Convener of BTCA; Farahana Zaman Liza, Tobacco Control Researcher; and Syeda Anannya Rahman, Office Secretary of the Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance.

Speakers noted that in 2016, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court explicitly ruled that no new tobacco company or factory should be approved in Bangladesh. Instead, existing tobacco companies were to be transformed into other industries. 

"Beza's current decision therefore not only violates public health obligations, but also breaches the Supreme Court's directive," the statement added.