TIRANA, Nov. 11 – Domestically produced tobacco hit a decade high of 3,000 tonnes in 2014, meeting 38 percent of the country’s needs, according to data published by Open Data research centre.
The record production which mainly comes from the northern Shkodra region and Elbasan in central Albania, allowed Albania to increase its exports to 1,730 tonnes, up from 1,515 tonnes in 2013 and a record high of 2,061 tonnes in 2007 for the past decade.
Domestic tobacco production during the past decade has ranged from 900 tonnes in 2007 to 3,000 tonnes in 2014.
Kosovo, Greece and Libya are the main destinations of Albania’s tobacco exports.
The study unveils that despite a sharp cut in tobacco imports during the past decade, consumption has only slightly dropped unveiling a shift to domestically produced cheaper tobacco as continuous hikes in excise rates have made imported cigarette prices unaffordable for thousands of smokers.
Tobacco consumption in 2014 is estimated at 4,486 tonnes, down from a peak level of 5,267 tonnes in 2013, and 4.167 tonnes in 2005.
Tobacco importers say there has been a shift toward hand-rolled unprocessed tobacco which is mainly sold on the black market and mostly produced in the mountain areas in the northern region of Shkodra and the central Albanian region of Elbasan.
