Swiss say ‘cheese’ to tobacco

The value of Switzerland’s exports of tobacco products surpassed that of cheese exports during the years 2007-2012, according to a story by Ivo Anselm Graffius for Bloomberg News, relayed by the TMA.

Data from the Swiss Federal Customs Office indicated that exports of tobacco products were worth about CHF540 million (US$565 million) in 2007, whereas exports of cheese were worth about CHF500 million (US$523 million).

By 2012, tobacco exports were close to CHF580 million (US$ 607 million), while cheese exports were worth nearly CHF550 million (US$575 million).

According to SonntagsZeitung, the Swiss tobacco industry employs about 13,000 people.