Iran's Cigarette Production Set to Rise 50%

EghtesadOnline: Cigarette production in Iran is estimated to reach 45 billion in the current Iranian year (ending March 20, 2017), up 50% compared with last year, the head of Tobacco Planning and Supervision Center affiliated with the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade said.

News ID: ۷۷۳۷۲۲

05 February 2017

"So far this year, some 36.2 billion cigarettes have been produced, registering a 53% rise compared with the corresponding period of last year," Ali Asghar Ramzi was quoted by ISNA as saying.

The government aims to call a halt to cigarette imports.

According to Ramzi, imports reduced by 67% to 3.7 billion cigarettes in the nine months to December 20, 2016, compared with the similar period of last year, Financial Tribune reported.

The official estimates that 5.4 billion cigarettes were smuggled into Iran during the period, noting that the figure indicates a 45% decline year-on-year.

According to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Iranians smoke some 55 billion cigarettes every year.