Author: Staff Writer

  • BAT Slammed for ‘Tattling’ on JTI Menthol Substitutes

    BAT Slammed for ‘Tattling’ on JTI Menthol Substitutes

    Photo: simisi1 from Pixabay

    Bob Blackman, chairman of the U.K. All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health, has criticized British American Tobacco (BAT) for leaking information about products made by Japan Tobacco International (JTI) following the ban on menthol cigarettes sold in the European Union, reports I News.

    Blackman said he received a letter from BAT that claimed it had data showing that a new range of JTI cigarettes still contained menthol. “As I responded, their offer is completely inappropriate; their public duty is to share the evidence with the appropriate authorities without delay,” said Blackman.

    A spokesman for BAT said the group had analyzed several JTI products and found them to contain menthol characteristics.

    While admitting its new cigarettes contain menthol, JTI insisted they do not break the new laws.

    “Some JTI cigarettes and rolling tobacco sold in the U.K. do still contain very low levels of menthol,” a spokesman for JTI said. “This is not prohibited under the law, provided that the use of such flavorings does not produce a clearly noticeable smell or taste other than one of tobacco—which they do not.”

    Blackman said he had forwarded a copy of the letter to Public Health Minister Jo Churchill who responded that the issue was “being followed up” by her officials to investigate. 

  • Estonia Mulls End to E-Liquid Taxes

    Estonia Mulls End to E-Liquid Taxes

    Photo: Purilum

    Lawmakers have submitted a bill to Estonia’s Parliament that would stop the collection of excise duty on tobacco e-liquids for two years.

    The legislators hope the measure will help to control the border trade and black market.

    In the draft explanation, the bill’s authors note that stopping the collection of excise duty will give entrepreneurs an opportunity to cut the price of e-liquids and encourage the sale of legal products.

    If passed, the legislation will enter into force on Dec. 1, 2020. 

  • BAT Opens Threshing Plant in Fiji

    BAT Opens Threshing Plant in Fiji

    Photo: HeikoBrown from Pixabay

    British American Tobacco (BAT) has opened a $10-million green leaf threshing factory in Votualevu, Fiji.

    Speaking at the inauguration, Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said cooperation from all stakeholders and sectors of the economy will ensure there are job sustainability and creation in the country.

    The new factory, he added, will not only provide high-quality products to consumers but also create more employment opportunities.

    BAT’s local general manager, Jeremy Hackett, said the new factory represents the culmination of more than two years of planning and hard work.

    “Fiji is one of the very few countries where BAT undertakes tobacco farming to support the growth of local agriculture, providing employment to approximately 1,100 seasonal workers and hundreds of local farmers,” he said.
     

  • South Africa Ordered to Overhaul Lockdown

    South Africa Ordered to Overhaul Lockdown

    Image by jessica45 from Pixabay

    A South African court has found some coronavirus lockdown regulations imposed by the government “unconstitutional and invalid,” reports the BBC.

    The high court in the capital, Pretoria, ruled that the measures were not connected to slowing the rate of infection or limiting its spread. The judge described rules around funerals, informal workers and amount of exercise as “irrational.”

    Judge Norman Davis argued it was wrong to allow people to travel to attend funerals but not to earn their livelihoods by street trading, as many South Africans do.

    South Africa initially had some of the world’s most restrictive lockdown measures, including a ban on tobacco sales.

    Some restrictions were recently lifted but the ban on tobacco sales remains in place despite earlier indications that it, too, might be eased.

    British American Tobacco and The Federation of International Trade Associations have mounted a legal challenge to the restrictions.

    It was unclear if Judge Davis’ ruling also covered tobacco. The government was given 14 days to overhaul the regulations.

  • Altria Donates $5 Million to Fight Racial Inequality

    Altria Donates $5 Million to Fight Racial Inequality

    Photo: Tumisu from Pixabay

    Altria Group is donating $5 million dollars to address systemic racism faced by black Americans and advance social and economic equity. These funds will be used to support national and local organizations working across the United States and in Altria’s operating communities, as well as provide immediate support to small businesses in the company’s communities impacted by recent vandalism. This commitment is incremental to Altria’s planned 2020 corporate giving.

    “These are difficult times, and we must find ways to embrace our differences, address underlying systemic issues and move forward as a country,” said Billy Gifford, Altria’s chief executive officer. “We know we don’t have all the answers, but we will learn by listening to our diverse colleagues, community members and others as we seek progress within our company and the places we call home.”

    Altria will also launch a month-long employee giving campaign which will match on a two-for-one basis all employee donations. Recipient organizations will be selected by Unifi, Altria’s Black Employee Resource Group (ERG) and other ERGs. Altria also announced a company-wide paid “Day of Healing” on June 19 to allow employees time for personal reflection and healing. Altria is also voicing support for removing confederate monuments in its hometown of Richmond, Virginia, USA, once the capital of the Confederacy.

    Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, dismissed Altria’s donation as “shameless hypocrisy.”

    “With its announcement today of a $5 million donation to African-American organizations, Marlboro-maker Altria is once again trying to divert attention away from the enormous harm it has done and continues to do to the health of African Americans with the targeted, decades-long marketing of menthol cigarettes,” he stated.

  • PMI declares dividend, participates in Consumer Conference

    PMI declares dividend, participates in Consumer Conference

    Photo: Philip Morris International

    Philip Morris International (PMI) has declared a regular quarterly dividend of $1.17 per common share, payable on July 10, 2020, to shareholders of record as of June 22, 2020. The ex-dividend date is June 19, 2020.

    PMI will also host a live audio call of a presentation and question and answer session by Jacek Olczak, chief operating officer, and Emmanuel Babeau, chief financial officer, at the Deutsche Bank Global Consumer Conference on June 11, 2020, at approximately 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

    The call will be held in a virtual format and provide a live audio of the entire PMI session in a listen-only mode. Participants can register at PMI’s website to receive dial-in instructions and numbers.

  • Pakistan Moves up the Value Chain With Cigarette Exports

    Pakistan Moves up the Value Chain With Cigarette Exports

    While Pakistan has long exported raw tobacco, this is said to be the first time it exports cigarettes.
    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Pakistan has earned at least $6.28 million from cigarette exports over the past 11 months, reports Pakistan Today.

    Although Pakistan has long exported leaf tobacco and raw materials to various countries, this was the first time that the country exported finished products, a step that experts believe would help the country capture more markets and earn better returns in the future.

    According to government data, there was zero export of cigarettes in fiscal 2019, whereas negligible quantities of some tobacco products were exported in 2018, 2017 and 2016, amounting to $50,000, $92,000 and $78,500, respectively.

    An official attributed the increase in imports to improved quality. At the request of customers in the Gulf, manufacturing plants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa upgraded the quality of their tobacco, paper, filters and packaging.

    Over the past 11 months, Pakistan collectively exported tobacco worth $38.12 million, which included $15.26 million kg of tobacco and 720,000 kg of cigarettes.

    Major tobacco export destinations include South Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia.

  • Hungary Wins EU Tax Fight

    Hungary Wins EU Tax Fight

    Photo: Steve Woods – Dreamstime.com

    Hungary has won its fight at the European Union’s top court to topple part of an EU decision to stall the government’s progressive taxes on retailers and tobacco companies, reports Bloomberg.

    The EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg on Thursday backed Hungary’s appeal and annulled the European Commission’s 2015 decision to order the suspension of the system.

    The commission in 2015 opened a probe into the measure and temporarily barred the nation from collecting special taxes from retailers and tobacco companies on suspicion the “steeply” progressive levies violated EU rules.

  • Zimbabwe: Tobacco Earnings Double From Last Year’s

    Zimbabwe: Tobacco Earnings Double From Last Year’s

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Zimbabwe has earned US$117 million from leaf sales since the tobacco season opened on April 29, according to the Tobacco Marketing and Industry Board (TIMB). Farmers have sold 51.66 million kg to date.

    This year’s season was characterized by delayed rains and prolonged drought.

    The TIMB said sales increased twofold from $46.83 million earned from 26.70 million kgs of the golden leaf sold in the comparable period last year.

    Average price at both auction and contract floors stood at $2.26 per kg, nearly 30 percent higher than during the comparable period of the 2019 marketing season.

    Despite the comparatively good prices, farmers are concerned about their income.

    Half of their crop is paid at a fixed exchange rate of US$1:$25. The other half is paid into local currency bank accounts at the pegged interbank rate and they feel the huge gap between the official and black market rates might affect their viability since many of their suppliers use the black market rate when calculating prices.

    Tobacco is Zimbabwe’s second largest foreign currency earner after gold.

  • BAT Launches E-cigarette Subscription Services

    BAT Launches E-cigarette Subscription Services

    Photo: British American Tobacco

    British American Tobacco (BAT) has launched personalized subscription services for its Vuse and Vype e-cigarette brands. With a variety of plans to choose from, vapers can sign up for monthly deliveries that offer “value, convenience and personalization.”

    In the United Kingdom, BAT has introduced two monthly subscription services focusing on its award-winning Vype ePen3 and Vype ePod.

    Each subscription plan includes a Vype ePen3 or Vype ePod every three months with a 25 percent saving on a three-month plan or a 33 percent saving on a six-month plan, both with no delivery charges. Each plan requires a minimum order of six packs per month. 

    In the United States, BAT continues to offer its popular Vuse Alto pod subscription service that includes a 10 percent discount on pods and free delivery.