Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 7 /Trend S.Isayev, T. Jafarov/
Iran has recently seen a 123-percent increase in cigarette imports into the country, ISNA reported.
In the first eight months of the current Iranian year, the legal imports of cigarettes accounted to 123 percent increase in weight value, amounting to 7,579 tonnes.
The imported amount of cigarettes cost Iran some $79,5 million, which is approximately a 44.3 percent increase, compared to the same period last year.
According to the Iranian customs statistics, Switzerland was the number one country for exporting cigarettes to Iran, with nearly 53 percent, with Turkey and UAE coming next.
Market statistics show that while the legal imports of cigarettes have increased significantly, about 40 percent of cigarettes sold at Iran's markets - are being imported into the country illegally.
Approximately, about 60-65 billion of cigarettes are being smoked in Iran per year. About 12 million of the people living in the country are regular smokers.
Marlboro turned out to be the most imported smoking brand in Iran, and the majority of cigarettes sold in Iran, are manufactured in such countries as China, Iraq, Oman, UAE, Vietnam and Greece.