Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 19
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Iran produced 14.8 billion cigarettes during the first five months of the current fiscal year (March 20-Aug. 21), Ali Asghar Ramzi, head of Iran’s Center for Tobacco Planning and Supervision, said.
The output of Iran’s 10 cigarette producing companies indicates a 75 percent increase compared to Iran's cigarettes production during the same period of the preceding year, Ramzi said, the Iranian Industry, Mine, and Trade ministry’s SHATA news website reported Sept. 19.
Iran imported 2.82 billion cigarettes in the five-month period, which is 53 percent less in comparison with March 20-Aug. 21, 2015, the official added.
Ramzi further said that about 55 billion cigarettes are smoked in the country annually.
He also said that about 5.4 billion cigarettes were smuggled into the country during the first five months of the current fiscal year, which makes 24 percent of total consumption.
Cigarette smuggling registered a 35 percent fall year on year, he added.
The high price of Iranian-made cigarettes in comparison to the price of smuggled foreign brands has become a tough challenge for the Iranian Tobacco Company.
The Fars News Agency reported on September 2013 that smuggled cigarettes are much cheaper than domestic products on Iran's market.