Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Iran imported 1.8 billion cigarettes during the first seven months of current fiscal year (March 20-Oct. 20), Ali Asghar Ramzi, head of Iran’s Center for Tobacco Planning and Supervision, said.
The figure indicates a fall by 44 percent year on year, Ramzi said, the official website of Iran’s industry ministry reported.
Iran’s 12 cigarette producing plants produced 27.2 billion cigarettes in the 7-month period, 18 percent more compared to the same months of the preceding year, the official added.
He further said that over 7.8 billion cigarettes were smuggled into Iran during the same time span based on estimates, adding that the illegal cigarette import has witnessed a 35-percent fall year on year.
About 55 billion cigarettes is smoked in the country annually, the official said.
He noted that over 91 percent of the cigarette smoked in the country will be supplied by domestic producers during the current fiscal year(to be ended March 2018).
He also said that Iran’s overall cigarette imports is planed to reach 2 billion during the current fiscal year.
The Iranian administration seriously follows a plan to domestically produce foreign cigarette brands, in order to cut down the imports.
About 6,000 hectares of lands in Iran are under tobacco cultivation, and annually 9,000 tons of tobacco is harvested in Iran, meanwhile the country’s cigarette producing companies need at least 40,000 tons of tobacco.
Over 80 percent of the tobacco, used in Iran’s cigarette factories is supplied through imports.
