Economy, Domestic Economy
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Tracking Codes for Cigarette Packs

Tracking Codes for Cigarette Packs
Tracking Codes for Cigarette Packs

The government’s plan to print tracking codes on cigarette packs will be implemented in the next three months, the head of Tobacco Planning and Supervision Center said. “The implementation of the plan means cigarettes will be traceable in all manufacturing and distribution stages,” Ali Asghar Ramzi was quoted as saying by IRNA. The move is aimed at tackling contraband cigarettes, which currently account for a lion’s share of the domestic tobacco market. Some 9 billion cigarettes were smuggled into Iran in the last fiscal year (March 2015-16), down from 12 billion registered a year before, according to Alireza Golestani, deputy chairman of Central Taskforce to Combat Smuggling of Commodities and Foreign Exchange. “More than 16.4 billion cigarettes were imported through official channels during the same period,” Ramzi said, adding that domestic production stood at 30 billion. Iran has some 10 million smokers.

 

Financialtribune.com