Cigarette Output Up, Smuggling Down
EghtesadOnline: A total of 12.7 billion cigarettes were produced in Iran during the first quarter of the current fiscal year (started March 21), registering a 33.7% increase compared with the corresponding period of last year, the Persian daily Etemad reported, citing the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade's data.
Cigarette exports were cut to zero in the three-month period whereas the country had exported 150 million cigarettes in the same quarter of last year.
The ban on imports remains in effect.
Nevertheless, cigarette smuggling declined by 49.3% year-on-year, according to Financial Tribune.
The ministry estimates that 16.2 billion cigarettes were consumed in Q1, indicating no change over last year’s similar period.
A report by Mizan Online based on figures released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration shows a total of 27,287 tons of tobacco worth more than $193.69 million were imported from 13 countries in the last Iranian year (March 2018-19).
Turkey was the biggest exporter with $107.73 million. Other main exporters of tobacco to Iran in the year to March 20, 2019, were Germany, Jordan, Brazil, Indonesia, Italy, the UAE, Thailand and Poland.