Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 21
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Iran imported 3.8 billion cigarettes in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year (March 20, 2016-Feb. 20), Ali Asghar Ramzi, head of Iran’s Center for Tobacco Planning and Supervision, said.
The figure indicates a huge fall by 73 percent compared to the same period of the preceding year, Ramzi said, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported Feb. 21.
Launching cigarette production units, to domestically produce foreign cigarette brands in line with the country’s fifth five-year development plan (2011-16) is the main reason behind the import fall, Ramzi said.
Iran produced 36.2 billion cigarettes during the first ten months of the current fiscal year (March 20, 2016-Jan. 20), 53 percent more year-on-year.
About 55 billion cigarettes are smoked in Iran annually.
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