Cigarette sales in South Korea increased by 1.1 percent in 2022 compared to the prior year, according to the finance ministry, according to The Korea Herald.
In 2022, smokers purchased 3.63 billion packs of cigarettes compared to 3.59 billion in 2021.
Sales decreased 16.8 percent from 2014, the year before the government raised cigarette prices by 80 percent to help reduce smoking.
Heat-not-burn product demand increased by 21.3 percent while conventional cigarette demand dropped by 1.8 percent.
BAT Rothmans has released the glo Hyper X2 heat-not-burn device to the South Korean market, reports The Korea Times.
“Glo Hyper X2 is a next-generation e-cigarette device that will lead the BAT Group’s smoke-free product business,” said Kim Eun-ji, BAT Rothmans’ country manager for South Korea. “We have not only increased the users’ convenience of the platform but also improved its design and portability.”
Japan Tobacco reported revenue of ¥2.66 trillion ($19.97 billion) in 2022, up 14.3 percent over the previous fiscal year.
Operating profit increased by 31 percent to ¥653.6 billion. Profit increased by 30.8 percent to ¥442.7 billion.
For full-year 2023, revenue is forecast to decrease by 1.1 percent to ¥2,629 billion. Operating profit is forecast to decrease by 6.4 percent to ¥612 billion. Profit attributable to owners of the parent company is forecast to decrease by 0.6 percent to ¥440 billion.
“The JT Group reported another strong performance in 2022, driven by solid pricing and sustained market share gains in the tobacco business, overcoming the global challenges,” said Masamichi Terabatake, president and CEO of the JT Group, in a statement. “We continued to make progress in the reduced-risk products category, with Ploom X increasing share in the HTS (heated-tobacco sticks) segment in Japan and the launch of Ploom X in London.”
The Tobacco Harm Reduction Summit Spain 2023 is scheduled to take place Feb. 23, 2023, in Madrid at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.
The Tobacco Harm Reduction Summit Spain 2023 aims to provide a space for evaluation and debate on the impact that harm reduction strategies can have in the field of smoking, offering a range of international perspectives ranging from scientific analysis of the issue to its political and regulatory implications, according to the website. It provides a forum to contribute to the generation of new proposals for tackling the problem of smoking, providing new points of reflection for scientists, professionals, technical and political decision-makers.
Singapore’s government is raising the excise duty on all tobacco products by 15 percent, effective Feb. 14, 2023, according to Channel News Asia. The move is aimed at discouraging consumption, according to Finance Minister Lawrence Wong’s budget speech.
The increase is expected to generate about $100 million in additional annual revenue, according to Wong.
The tobacco tax was last raised in Singapore in 2018 when it increased by 10 percent.
The auction tobacco marketing season opens March 8 with contract tobacco sales opening the next day, reports The Herald.
“All stakeholders are advised that the 2023 auction tobacco marketing season opens on Wednesday, 8 March,” said Emmanuel Matsvaire, acting chief executive of the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board. “Sales at licensed auction floors will start at 9 a.m. Contract tobacco sales will open on Thursday, 9 March.”
A significantly higher volume and quality of tobacco leaf is expected in Zimbabwe this year due to good rains during the farming season, reports Xinhua News.
The quality of the crops is good and will likely bring in high prices, according to George Seremwe, president of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Growers Association.
“This year, we have got a very good crop,” said Seremwe. “Even the dry land crop, which is rain-fed, is looking like the irrigated crop because the rains were quite good.”
The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board is still assessing crops to determine the expected output.
The Tobacco Board of Zambia (TBZ) has captured over 40,000 farmers on its electronic registration and monitoring system introduced two years ago, reports Zambia Daily Mail.
In 2020, the TBZ introduced the Bright Leaf System to regulate the production, buying and selling of tobacco in the country.
TBZ information communication technology officer Maximillian Kasonde said the system has brought relief to the board in that it is now aware not only of the exact number of farmers in the country but also of their identities and their locations.
“It has made the marketing and registration system easier,” Kasonde said.
After U.K. retailers announced they would remove Elf Bar 600 products from shelves due to illegal levels of e-liquid, Elf Bar called a meeting with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Elf Bar subsequently released a statement regarding the controversy.
“Recent press reports alleged questions around the compliance of the Elf Bar 600 on the U.K. market,” a company press release stated. “Subsequent to these allegations, we immediately initiated a full investigation of the Elf Bar 600 in the U.K. market and have found that some products exceeded the permitted e-liquid fill level. Although this issue means the products are not compliant in full with U.K. regulations, we did not find any issues with nicotine strength or anything that might mean the products’ safety is compromised in any way.
“MHRA indicated that their recommendation is for the product to be withdrawn from the market.
“We agree with this recommendation and will voluntarily carry out a withdrawal of noncompliant Elf Bar 600s from the U.K. market. We will be assisted in ensuring the withdrawal is carried out effectively, and without causing any unnecessary market disruption, by a Trading Standards Primary Authority. We will update all of our distribution and retail partners when we have agreed how this corrective action will be enacted.
“Although the investigation and definition of corrective actions for the Elf Bar 600 has been undertaking, we have also committed to investigate all other vape products that we export to the U.K. We will take any actions we deem to be required to ensure compliance across our entire product set.”
Elf Bar was joined by the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) and the IBVTA in the meeting.
“Although Elf Bar is not a member of the UKVIA, as the industry’s lead trade association, it was key that we were present at such a critical meeting to represent the interests of all businesses in the sector impacted by this highly regrettable situation,” the UKVIA said in a statement. “The decision by Elf Bar to voluntarily withdraw its noncompliant products, recently highlighted in the media, is absolutely the right one.
“If the industry is going to be accepted as playing a leading role in helping Britain achieve its smoke-free targets, it has to demonstrate the highest levels of compliance, standards and responsibility, which the UKVIA expects.”
The number of e-cigarette battery air incidents has tripled since 2019, reports The Wall Street Journal, citing a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) database.
Vapes and e-cigarettes were the leading cause for lithium battery incidents on aircraft in 2022, ahead of those caused by battery packs and laptops. Of the 55 incidents reported through September of last year, vapes and e-cigarettes accounted for 19, which was 35 percent of all incidents in 2022 and triple the incidents reported in all of 2019, the FAA says.
According to the agency, the batteries in these devices can catch fire if damaged or if the battery terminals are short-circuited.
Vapes aren’t allowed in checked luggage and must be brought in carry-on luggage because of cargo-area fire risks.
The federal government banned smoking on most U.S. flights in 1990. In 2016, the U.S. finalized its ban on e-cigarettes on all domestic commercial flights as well as on international flights to and from the country.
Passengers should refrain from charging e-cigarettes on a plane and store their device carefully to prevent them from accidentally turning on, according to the FAA. They should transport their vapes in a protective case or remove the battery and place each battery in its own case or plastic bag to prevent a short-circuit, the agency says.
Passengers who violate federal vaping laws risk fines up to $1,771.