JTI announces shareholder meeting
Japan Tobacco Inc. is due to hold its ordinary general meeting of shareholders starting at 10 a.m. on June 24 at the Tokyo Prince Hotel.
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Harm reduction should form basis of progressive regulation, says BAT
British American Tobacco is calling on the World Health Organization and governments around the world to adopt a policy of tobacco harm reduction as a more progressive approach to tobacco regulation, according to a note posted on the company’s website. In support of its call, BAT quoted WHO estimates that suggest there are now one […]
Plain packaging not a done deal in U.K.
Ahead of the U.K. government’s consultation on standardized packaging regulations, the smokers’ group Forest is urging retailers and consumers to write to the prime minister, David Cameron, declaring their opposition to the policy. Forest believes that such regulations could be included in the Queen’s Speech on June 4, which will outline the government’s agenda for […]
Uganda’s proposed tobacco control bill under fire from Kampala traders
The Kampala City Traders’ Association (Kacita) has thrown its weight behind those opposing some aspects of Uganda’s proposed Tobacco Control Bill, according to a story in The Observer. Kacita’s chairman, Everest Kayondo, described the law as “draconian and [one that] would cost Uganda business opportunities.” If the bill were passed in its current form, he […]
Unions reject Bergen op Zoom package said to be “among the best”
Trade unions have threatened to organize protests at Philip Morris’ cigarette factory at Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands, if the tobacco company does not offer a better social plan for employees who seem set to lose their jobs. Philip Morris Holland (PMH) said in early April that it intended to end cigarette production at Bergen […]
TMA regulations conference
The U.S. Tobacco Merchants Association will hold a one-day conference on June 16 at the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Virginia, about the Food and Drug Administration’s deeming regulations. The event will include legal, laboratory and other presentations, in addition to breakout sessions by product sector. For more information, visit www.tma.org or phone TMA at +1 609 275 4900.
Huge e-cigarette potential in China
About 500 representatives of the global e-cigarette industry are due meet at Shenzhen, China, in August to unveil new technologies and discuss how to improve safety and health standards, according to a piece by Yanzhong Huang published by Forbes Asia. Although the huge majority of e-cigarettes are manufactured in China, they are not popular on […]
Malaysia cracks down on illicit sales
Malaysia’s Customs Department officers have seized 131 million smuggled cigarettes since the launch of a nationwide operation in January, according to a story in the New Straits Times. The seized products were said to be worth MYR73.64 million in value and unpaid duties. Customs Director-general Datuk Seri Khazali Ahmad said his officers had checked 2,618 […]
Cigarette prices to rise in Cambodia
Cigarette prices in Cambodia are expected to increase from about $0.58 to about $0.64 a pack from July when taxes are due to rise, according to a story in The Phnom Penh Post. Taxes currently account for 20 percent of the retail price of a pack of cigarettes, but that is set to rise to […]
Safety award for Imperial in Macedonia
Imperial Tobacco’s subsidiary in Macedonia has won a national workplace health and safety award for the second year in a row. Imperial Tobacco TKS at Skopje was recognized by the Macedonian Association for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) for demonstrating best practices. “This award comes as we mark almost four years without any lost time […]
New Nepalese plant starts production
Surya Nepal has started production at its new cigarette plant at Seratar in the district of Tanahun, according to a story in Republica. The company has invested NPR4.5 billion in the factory, which employs about 200 people and is set on 145 ropani (7.3 ha). Currently, the factory is running 16 hours a day in […]
Low auction prices force growers to make illegal shift to contract selling
Some of Zimbabwe’s flue-cured tobacco growers are diverting their crops to contract floors so as to earn higher prices than those being offered over the auction floors, according to a story in the Zimbabwe Herald. Officially, contract buyers purchase tobacco only from contracted growers, but some farmers not under contract are said to be using […]
Andhra flue-cured auction prices soar
Flue-cured tobacco prices have been soaring at auctions underway in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, according to a story in the most recent issue of the BBM Bommidala Group newsletter. Northern black soils tobaccos were said to have touched a new high of INR168 per kg at the Thorredu auction platform. And Northern light […]
Call for higher taxes in Asean countries
Regional tobacco control groups have called for higher cigarette taxation among Asean (Association of Southeast Asia Nations) countries and a crackdown on the illicit trade so as to reduce consumption, according to a story in the Bangkok Post. The call came during the Tobacco Taxation and Illicit Trade workshop held at the World Health Organization’s […]
PM in Pakistan advertising ban challenge
Philip Morris International has filed a petition in the Sindh High Court, Pakistan, challenging a ban on tobacco product advertisements and promotions due to come into force at the end of this month, according to local news reports. One report in the Business Recorder, while not mentioning PMI by name, said the petition had described […]
Possible MERS link with shisha smoking
The shisha café culture may exacerbate the spread of the coronavirus in Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries, according to an Arab News story quoting a senior physiology professor at King Saud University (KSU). Sultan Ayoub Meo, professor and consultant at KSU’s King Khalid University Hospital, said shisha smokers, along with their friends and […]
Smokers could face two years in jail
Two hundred and thirty-nine people were fined for smoking at bus stops in a recent crackdown conducted by the Malaysia’s health ministry, according to a story in The Star. Another 17 were said to have been caught smoking inside buses and, though the story didn’t mention it, presumably fined. “The operation was conducted in 2,317 […]
Low prices despite Philippines’ sin tax
Despite the introduction of the “sin tax law” last year, the prices of cigarettes in the Philippines continue to rank among the lowest in the world, according to a story in the Sun Star quoting the results of a study. The so-called sin tax law (Republic Act 10351) was introduced in January 2013. At US$0.58 […]
Reynolds Building sale announced
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco said yesterday that it had sold the historic Reynolds Building in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for $7.8 million to a partnership comprising the PMC Property Group and Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. The building is to be converted into a mixed-use building comprising a “boutique hotel, restaurant and upscale apartments.” “From the beginning our […]
RAI judged likely to acquire Lorillard
It looks increasingly likely that Reynolds American (RAI) will acquire Lorillard, according to a research note issued by Bonnie Herzog, managing director of beverage, tobacco and convenience store research at Wells Fargo Securities (WFS). In part, Herzog’s position is based on news reports that came out yesterday afternoon indicating that RAI was in “active discussions” […]
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