Jorda’s price not increased as per budget

Almost all the jorda factories in Bangladesh are marketing jorda ignoring the budget for the fiscal year 2020-21. In addition, the budget did not affect the jorda market and vendors as per capita income and inflation did not increase the price. A recent study revealed such information.

The research results were released at a press conference organized 5 anti-tobacco organizations through the Meeting Software Zoom on Monday, 8 September 2020.

The data were collected at the same time from each district from the wholesale stores in the market, before the budget, and after30 days of the budget in the fiscal year 2020-21. A total of 125 Jordas were collected from 6 districts on the current selling price and the previous sale price. According to the results of the study, the price was the same as before the budget, but after the budget, the previous price is still the same. In the post-budget period, the price of jorda has increased by only 0.43 percent. On the other hand, the price of some jorda’s has gone up from Tk 1to Tk 2. On average, the price increase is only 1.72 taka.

The study also found that Jorda sales rate is 0% according to the approved budget price. In otherwords, none of the 125 jorda’s collected are being sold at the price mentioned in the budget passed in the fiscal year 2020-21. So the results show that the budget did not have any effect on the market, not even on the sellers. However, raising the prices as per the budget would have helped the Board of Revenue to increase its taxes and could have an impact on consumer usage as well.

According to the budget, the price of 5 grams of jorda was supposed to be 20 taka, but the price of all the jorda available in the market was 3 to 16 taka. Besides, according to the budget, the price of10 grams of jorda was supposed to be 40 taka, but it can be seen that most of the 10 grams of jorda are being sold at 8 to 20 taka.

The price of smokeless tobacco has been increased in the budget, but in reality, it is not being accepted. Former Chairman National Board of Revenue Dr. Nasir Uddin Ahmed presided over the press conference. Mohammad Kamal Uddin, Executive Director of NATAB, Prof Dr. Rumana Haque, ProjectCoordinator of Economic Research Bureau, Saifuddin Ahmed, Coordinator, Bangladesh Anti-TobaccoAlliance, Farida Akhtar, Coordinator, Anti-Tobacco Women’s Alliance (TABINAJ), Syed MahbubulAlam, Technical Consultant of The Union were also present.

The research results were presented at the press conference by Farhana Zaman Liza, ResearchAssistant and Program Manager of TCRC, and conducted by Associate Professor Md. Bazlur Rahman, Member Secretary of TCRC.
The study was jointly conducted by AID Foundation, Bangladesh Network for Tobacco Tax Policy (BNTTP), Gram Bangla Unnayon Committee, NATAB, Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust, and Tobacco Control and Research Cell (TCRC) of Dhaka International University.