Tobacco.org

Recently released market study: Smoking Tobacco in Georgia 

In the past, tobacco was grown in the country, so smoking tobacco in Georgia has deeper traditions than that of cigars and cigarillos. However, smoking tobacco has very little contribution to overall sales of tobacco, with very low volume and value sales. This is due to Georgia being part of the Soviet Union for half a century, whereby cigarettes was the only legal smoking material. Georgians recognise that smoking tobacco is quite problematic compared with cigarettes in terms of having to roll...

Euromonitor International's Smoking Tobacco in Georgia report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data 2006-2010, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth.

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Smoking Tobacco - Georgia: New research report available at Fast Market Research 

Smoking tobacco consumption in Georgia has deeper roots than that of cigars and cigarillos, partly due to the fact that tobacco was historically grown in the country. Despite this, the smoking tobacco sector continued to play a niche role in the wider tobacco market in 2009, with retail volume and current value sales remaining very low. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that there has been a very strong tradition of cigarette smoking in Georgia ever since Soviet times. At the same time,...

Euromonitor International's Smoking Tobacco in Georgia report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data 2005-2009, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be the new legislative, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2014 illustrate how the market is set to change.

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JTI Claims Cigarette Smuggling from Georgia to Turkey Uncovered 

Famous cigarette brands with Georgian excise stamps were found smuggled to Turkey in bulk quantities, making up about 4-5% of the Turkish illegal tobacco market (several hundred million cigarettes taken from Georgia), according to JTI representatives in Georgia.

The smuggling of Marlboro and other famous cigarette brands from Georgia to Turkey was quite common in the early ‘90s, when Turkey opened its border with the then-young Georgian republic.

“Cigarette smuggling from Georgia to Turkey was not spotted in 2008/09, whilst this year cigarettes intended for the Georgian tobacco market have already been noticed in the illegal Turkish market,” Konstantin Fedorov, Vice President of JTI Export Markets told The FINANCIAL.

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Georgia details nuclear smuggling 

Early one morning in March, two Armenians slipped aboard a train in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, unaware they were being watched. They removed a pack of Marlboro Reds hidden in a maintenance box between two cars. Inside the pack, Georgian authorities say, was nuclear bomb grade uranium, encased in lead.

Before long, Georgian officials seized the uranium and arrested the men, breaking up a ring they say was willing to sell material for nuclear weapons to any bidder. International officials see the operation as one victory in the effort to prevent nuclear weapons from falling into terrorists' hands. . . .

Radiation detectors on the Georgia-Armenia border under a U.S. program apparently failed to pick up the uranium hidden in the cigarette pack. Pavlenishvili said Ohanian correctly predicted the lead casing would conceal the uranium from the detectors. A larger quantity might have been detected.

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Georgia foils bid to smuggle weapons-grade uranium 

Georgia has revealed how it intercepted a group of smugglers trying to sell weapons-grade uranium on the black market.

The men, both Armenian, slipped across the border into Georgia at night before being arrested in a sting operation.

Highly-enriched uranium can be used to make nuclear bombs. . . .

Georgian investigators say that back in March, the two Armenians stashed the highly-enriched uranium in a lead-lined cigarette container, concealed it in the night train from the Armenian capital Yerevan to Tbilisi, and made their own way across the border.

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Nuclear smuggling exposed in secret trial  

Nuclear weapons-grade uranium is now available on the black market in Georgia, according to officials who broke up a smuggling ring in the former Soviet republic.

Highly enriched uranium was smuggled from Armenia to Georgia in a lead-lined cigarette packet in March. Two men involved in transporting the substance were arrested in April.

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Controversy over law on tobacco control 

The issue of tobacco control has been discussed by the Georgian Parliament and Government since the end of 2005, when Parliament ratified the concept of introducing tobacco control systems in Georgia in line with World Health Organisation recommendations. By taking on this commitment the country also took on the responsibility to forbid the smoking of tobacco in public buildings and on public transport, forbidding tobacco advertising and sponsorship and other obligations. In December 2008 the law on tobacco control was indeed amended. Smoking was forbidden in public places, educational and medical institutions and on public transport and in bars and restaurants were forced to set aside separate areas for smokers and non-smokers.

The Georgian Government initially decided that these amendments would be introduced only in 2012. Although they did in fact come into force in September 2009, the Government still wants the delay them, opposes introducing penalties for law violations and so on.

The NGO Tobacco Control Alliance and its Chairman Giorgi Bakhturidze think that some government members are lobbying for tobacco interests and that's why they are demanding the delays in implementing the amendments.

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Japan Tobacco International Hopes That Meeting Of Georgia And Ukraine To Solve Problem ($$) 

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Smuggled cigarettes make Georgia blue in the face 

Smuggling remains a serious obstacle for the sustainability and development of the Georgian economy. The problem can be traced to the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Despite measures taken by the administration since the Rose Revolution, cigarette smuggling is remains a thorn in its side. Though the cigarette smuggling centre is South Ossetia, some cigarettes are still smuggled into Zugdidi across the Enguri River from breakaway Abkhazia.

Analysts calculate that the state should be collecting GEL 292 million in taxes from cigarette purchases-GEL 213 million from imported cigarettes and GEL 79 million from domestic cigarettes.

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OSTLER: A postcard from Germany 

Shopping for souvenirs, I've been trying to find a cuckoo clock where the bird comes out smoking a cigarette and coughing the number of hours.

Germany is a healthy and environmentally conscious country. . . .

This is just about the last major European country that hasn't banned smoking in public places. Not only can you smoke basically anywhere, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a cigarette vending machine. They hang on walls and fences.

One reason the German law hasn't come down on smoking, according to a newspaper story here, is that the tobacco industry spends a ton of money on advertising and political lobbying. . . .

The stadium seating areas are non-smoking, but you still see people lighting up. Unfortunately, most of them sit next to me. One game it was an Italian couple smoking about five cigs at once.

"Non fumare!" a fellow journalist said to them.

They shrugged and kept puffing, because they were more reasonable than the rest of us.

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Control on Smoking hardens 

Control on smoking inside the buildings becomes more strict. National Centre of Control of Smoking intends to carry out raids in Tbilisi. Representatives of the mentioned Centre will check state, medical and educational organizations.

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• Smoking Ban Approved in Georgia 

The Parliament of Georgia ratified the World Health Organisation Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and undertook the obligation of restricting tobacco consumption and realization across the country.

Discussion of those bills, coming from the convention, is also launched by the Parliament. After passing them, it will be banned to trade with open packs of cigarettes.

The bill envisions restriction of tobacco consumption, namely smoking in pre-school playgroups, educational and other institutions/organizations, destined for minors less than 18 years, all across the gasoline stations, in all places, where inflammable materials are kept, as well as in all working places

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• Parliament considers smoking restrictions 

A planned amendment to the Georgian Administrative Procedural Code provides for confiscation of incomes generated from the illegal trade of tobacco products. The bill will be implemented together with a bill amending the Tobacco Control Law. The law would prohibit the selling of cigarettes within 50 meters of any health and education facilities. The bill amending the Tobacco Control Law, which was approved by the parliamentary sectoral economics committee on Wednesday, also provides for serious restrictions on smoking. In particular smoking would be prohibited in places used for public gatherings, in buildings used by public organizations and near fuel stations. The managers of state organizations will have to allocate specially ventilated sections for smoking.

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Armenian Tobacco Tycoon To Open Plant In Georgia 

Armenia's leading tobacco tycoon confirmed on Friday reports about his plans to expand his cigarette production and sales into neighboring Georgia.

Hrant Vartanian told RFE/RL that he will invest $4 million over the next two years in a cigarette factory which is currently built in Tbilisi by his Grand Tobacco firm and his Georgian business partners. Vartanian said Grand Tobacco will have a controlling 51 stake in the joint venture to be called Best. It will start production operations by the beginning of October, he added.

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Outdoor Tobacco Trade Banned 

Selling of tobacco products at outdoor markets has been banned in the capital Tbilisi, starting from March 1. Authorities claim this measure is a part of those attempts aimed at curbing tobacco smuggling.

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