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Tag: Shisha

  • Zanzibar Bans Shisha, E-Cig Import and Use

    Zanzibar Bans Shisha, E-Cig Import and Use

    Image: mikefoto58 | Adobe Stock

    Zanzibar authorities plan to impose a ban on import and consumption of shisha and e-cigarettes, according to The Citizen.

    “We are all witnesses—the consumption of shisha and e-cigarettes has become commonplace, and we shall come up with a special regulatory law to govern those who will have special permits to import and sell shisha or electric cigarettes,” said Masoud Ali Mohammed, Zanzibar’s minister of state, office of the president, regional administrations, local governments and SMZ departments.

    Current importers have been advised not to restock products but rather to reach out to authorities for new directives. “Do not order more products after your current stock is depleted,” said the minister. “You will have to follow the new laws that the government is going to issue.”

  • Cavendish Plans More Shisha Auctions

    Cavendish Plans More Shisha Auctions

    Koen Monkau (left) | Image: Cavendish Lloyd

    Cavendish Lloyd Zimbabwe (CLZ) plans to hold two more shisha auction sales, according to NewsDay.  

    CLZ is the first company to hold an auction sale of shisha tobacco.  

    “This tobacco has extremely low nicotine,” said Koen Monkau, CEO and founder of Cavendish. “So our target with the farmers is to grow a maximum nicotine crop of 1 percent while the traditional crop that you see is traditionally anywhere between 2 percent and 3 percent with sugars ranging from, let’s say, 14 percent to 20 percent. This is less than 1 percent nicotine and up to 30 percent sugar.” 

    “We are going to do three or four (auction sales) in total, and this is number two,” he added.

    Cavendish sold between 60 bales and 80 bales on the first day at auction, each bale weighing between 90 kg and 100 kg. Sales increased to 300 bales on the second auction day.

    The company is working with about 13 farmers who supply the crop.  

    “The cost of growing is about half that of the traditional crop. If you look at a commercial farmer in Zimbabwe, the cost of growing per hectare of the traditional tobacco is anything between US$12,000 and $13,000, and this (shisha) is about $6,000 to $7,000, so it is about half the cost of growing. However, the yield per hectare is slightly less,” Monkau said.

    “So, when you look at the return on investment for the farmer, it’s definitely much better than the traditional crop.”

    Cavendish is targeting the European and Arab markets with the final product. “The original source of this style of tobacco is Europe, but from there, it’s sold worldwide. So we are basically competing with countries such as France, Poland and Germany. These are the major producers of this style of tobacco in Europe. And we see that there is stabilization or a slight decline in what they are growing for whatever reasons, so that means there is an opening for us to enter that market as well,” Monkau said.

    “For the last two seasons, there has been a shortage of this style of tobacco. Traditionally, most of this tobacco is being used in the Middle East because that is where most shisha is coming from. But what we see now, even in Africa or Zimbabwe, recently, a small manufacturer started to make a small product that is going into the water pipe.”

  • Excitement at First Shisha Tobacco Sales

    Excitement at First Shisha Tobacco Sales

    Photo: Cavendish Lloyd

    Sales of shisha tobacco, which opened for the first time at the tobacco sales floor in Harare on April 21, were met with excitement by farmers and buyers, reports The Herald.

    Shisha tobacco is proving to be popular in Zimbabwe, and the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has licensed one company, Cavendish Lloyd Tobacco, to support shisha tobacco production in the country.

    The first bale of shisha tobacco sold for $5, and the highest price was $5.30.

    “Today, I delivered 15 bales,” said Moses Machine, a Mutorashanga farmer who expects to deliver 400 bales to the sales floors. “There are several advantages associated with growing this type of crop. Plant population will double the Virginia tobacco. Shisha uses less fertilizer. Since it is the first year, we are not sure where the viability is, but with time, we are going to have a proper analysis. There is use of less labor and fertilizers. In terms of costs of production, there is a difference compared to the Virginia one. There are plenty of good points, but, yes, we may encounter challenges since it is the beginning..

    “I recommend farmers to grow this type of tobacco; no curing using firewood, hence it is cheap to cure. Farmers need to maximize production; air is the major source of the energy. Shisha tobacco production is a welcome development.”

    “The tobacco needs very special attention because the plant or the leaf is very thin, so if you don’t carefully handle it, the leaf itself breaks,” said Jayson Scott, a Marondera farmer. “I have delivered 15 bales, and if everything goes well, l will increase hectarage.”

    TIMB Sales Supervisor Pelagia Marumahoko said the regulator is expecting about 100 hectares for shisha production this season, and markets are readily available in Africa.

    “We have licensed Cavendish Lloyd Tobacco to contract growers growing shisha at the present moment. It doesn’t only contract our farmers, but it also processes this tobacco locally. So far, we have 12 farmers who grow shisha tobacco throughout all the tobacco growing regions,” said Marumahoko.

    Chemical applications for pest and insect control and growth period are the same as other tobacco cultivars such as Virginia tobacco. The crop is reaped when the leaves have completely lost all the nitrogen and have fully ripened. It is cured using the same flue-curing barns, temperature and humidity regimes for the Virginia flue-cured tobacco, and it takes four days to five days to complete curing.

    The cured leaf has to have low nicotine content to protect the smoker from inhaling huge amounts of nicotine since shisha tobacco is about constant smoke inhalation in huge quantities.

  • Al Fakher Considering Going Public

    Al Fakher Considering Going Public

    Credit: Nomad Soul

    The Dubai-based shisha manufacturer Al Fakher has hired Rothschild and Co. to advise on strategic options, including a possible initial public offering, two sources familiar with the matter said, reports Reuters.

    An IPO would take place in the region, either on Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul or the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, the sources said.

    Al Fakher is owned by Advanced Inhalation Rituals, a private company that is majority owned by London-based Kingsway Capital.

    Al Fakher, which was founded in 1999, makes flavored shisha molasses for use in hookah and is sold in more than 100 countries, according to its website.

    Middle East companies bucked global trends last year to raise about $22 billion through IPOs, according to Dealogic, which was more than half the total for the wider Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

  • Morocco to Increase Waterpipe Taxes

    Morocco to Increase Waterpipe Taxes

    Photo: alexlmx

    Morocco is preparing to increase taxes on waterpipes, reports Morocco World News.

    The country’s Finance and Economic Development Committee approved the new taxes on Nov. 9. Following the increase, smokers would pay MAD675 ($63) per kg of shisha smoking material.

    The approval comes after a government amendment to the Finance Bill of 2023 extending the tax base to include shisha without tobacco and electronic cigarettes. 

    Officials said the measure “aims to preserve the health of consumers, especially young adults, and to protect them against the negative effects of consumption and addiction to these products.” 

    The statement further explains that the imports of tobacco-free shisha are not subject to taxes, although they carry the same health risks as tobacco-based shisha. 

    The decision to raise the tax is based on World Health Organization research indicating that smoking products containing a mixture of fruits and herbs without tobacco pose a similar risk to tobacco products. 

    The WHO recommends subjecting such products to the same restrictions and taxes as tobacco products.

    According to the Moroccan government, the European Commission classifies herbal mixtures, aromatic herbs or fruits as smoking products.