134,010 maunds of fuelwood burned in CHT tobacco kilns, yearly

Desk Report: New DoE report also finds 25-30% of all the industry’s fuelwood is used by these kilns.
A staggering 134,010 maunds of fuelwood is burned every year in the tobacco kilns of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT)—to process tobacco leaves. This poses a serious threat to the environment.
The shocking information has been revealed in a recent report by the Department of Environment (DoE).
On March 22, the then-director of the DoE (Chittagong region) Md Mokbul Hossain paid an official visit to Dighinala upazila of Khagrachhari district, and interviewed tobacco farmers plus local public representatives, to prepare the report. The report was sent to the director general of the DoE on June 12.
According to the report, the fuelwood is burned at a total of 2,978 tobacco-processing kilns in the three districts of the Chittagong Hill Tracts–Rangamati, Khagrachhari, and Bandarban.
According to the report, there are 767 tobacco kilns in Khagrachhari district, while the Rangamati and Bandarban districts have 178 and 2,033 kilns, respectively.
The report also revealed that around 446,700 maunds of fuel are burned at the 2,978 tobacco kilns of the three districts annually. The tobacco kilns of the three districts use 25-30% of all the industry’s fuelwood.
According to the report, 3kg of fuel are burned to produce 1kg of Virginia- cured leaves. Some kilns also use jhut (scrap fabrics from garment factories), dhaincha (scientific name is sesvania), and charcoal, to cure tobacco leaves. On average, each tobacco kiln cures 2,000kg of tobacco leaves a year.
Curing is the term for drying tobacco, and the process is performed after the tobacco is harvested from the fields. Curing methods vary depending on the type of tobacco.
The report cautioned that if the use of fuelwood at the tobacco kilns increases, local vegetation may suffer.
While visiting some of the kilns in Dighinala upazila, Mokbul witnessed that primarily, women are employed to grade tobacco after it is cured. However, the women he observed were not wearing masks or socks as per the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) workplace guidelines. Some children even accompanied their mothers while the latter performed the hazardous work.
The report also stated that brick kilns had been set up in or around human habitations, which may pose serious health hazards.
Moreover, most kilns do not use eco-friendly barns.