Commerce: 20% Increase in Cigarette Consumption during Curfew

The Egyptian market observed an increase in cigarette consumption during the current period by around 20% with the continued closure of cafes, and the prevention of "Shisha" gatherings, in light of the precautionary measures to confront the coronavirus, Mahmoud Loulou, head of the tobacco Division at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce said.

Loulou indicated that the price of cigarettes increased by at least 30% in some popular brands on the black market such as cleopatra and others during the past week, as the price of the packet increased from 18 pounds to 23, despite official prices staying stable.

"We observed a hike of some local brands in the black market," he said, adding that the producing company cannot raise prices five pounds at a time.

He pointed out that some cigarette brands on local markets are suffering a severe shortage and decline during the recent period by about 10%.

The head of the tobacco Division noted that the high prices are due to distributors and some dealers, who want to make an addition profit on the burden of the citizens. He called for the necessity of activating oversight as well as internal control and supervision from cigarette companies on their distributors to prevent any violations or manipulation of prices.

Meantime, a number of cigarette dealers confirmed the increase in the prices from the factory, which led to raising the price for the consumer.

While the media official of the Eastern Company assured that the prices of supplying any of its products have not been raised, and the tariff remains as specified and announced by the Ministry of Finance.

On Sunday, the ministry of interior arrested 7 people for allegedly blocking cigarettes from the market and tampering with their prices, as part of campaigns to combat crimes of tampering.

The dealers possessed about 87,000 packages of different types, sources said.