Iranian production up

Cigarette production in Iran is estimated to reach 45 billion in the current Iranian year, 50 percent up on that of the previous year, according to a story in the Financial Tribune quoting the head of the Tobacco Planning and Supervision Center, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade. The current Iranian year will end on March 20.

“So far this year, some 36.2 billion cigarettes have been produced, registering a 53 percent rise compared with the corresponding period of last year,” Ali Asghar Ramzi was quoted by ISNA News Agency as saying.

The government reportedly wants to end cigarette imports and Ramzi said that imports had fallen by 67 percent to 3.7 billion cigarettes in the nine months to December 20, when compared with those of the similar period of last year.

At the same time, according to official estimates, the number of smuggled cigarettes entering the country was down by 45 percent to 5.4 billion.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Education says that Iranians smoke about 55 billion cigarettes every year.