Estimating the annual production data of bidi sticks in India using the “back-of-the-envelop” method

A bidi is a traditional Indian cigarillo made of tobacco wrapped in tendu leaf, which is marketed as a cheap alternative to cigarettes. There is a high variability in the actual production numbers and those claimed by bidi manufacturers in the country. This arises as a result of lax regulatory and taxation policies, paving the way for a large number of unaccounted bidi sticks bypassing official regulatory channels and circulating illegally with unchecked availability to minors. This study estimates the exact number of bidi sticks produced annually within the country in order to address the significant gap in reliable data for production figures. Estimates were calculated based on three different data sets: (a) quantity of auctioned tendu leaves, (b) number of bidi rollers, and c) quantities of bidi tobacco cultivated across all Indian states. Annual bidi stick production was estimated as (a) 319.83 billion, (b) 600 billion to 1 trillion, and (c) 974 billion to 1.19 trillion. These alarming numbers underscore the need for policy decisions aimed at comprehensively understanding the scope and impact of the bidi trade, thereby facilitating the development of effective regulatory measures.

Published August 8, 2024

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