Iran Cigarette Output Up 63%

EghtesadOnline: A total of 2.6 billion cigarettes were produced in Iran in the first month of the current fiscal year (started March 21), registering a 63% increase compared with the corresponding period of last year, the head of the Center for Tobacco Planning and Supervision said.

News ID: ۷۷۶۰۲۱

08 May 2017

About 250 million cigarettes were imported during the same period, down 87% year-on-year, SHATA reported.

Ali Asghar Ramzi added that 45 billion cigarettes were produced in Iran in the last fiscal year (March 2016-17), registering a 50% rise compared with the year before, which met 82% of domestic demand for cigarettes. Last year’s imports stood at 4 billion cigarettes, down 76% year-on-year.

Smuggled cigarettes, according to the official, decreased by 30% from 8.6 billion cigarettes two years ago to reach 6 billion last year.

According to the Health Ministry, Iranians smoke about 55 billion cigarettes annually.

The government aims to call a complete halt to cigarette imports and meet domestic demand through local production instead, Financial Tribune reported.