Damascus - Sana
High execution rates reached 92 percent for sales and 151 percent for production value, achieved by the General Tobacco Corporation during the past ten months, with an improvement rate over the corresponding period of last year, with 92 percent for sales and 265 for value.
General Director of the Corporation, Mohsen Abido, explained during his presentation of the production and investment plans in a meeting that follows the Corporation's plan, chaired by Minister of Industry Ziad Sobhi Sabbagh, that the Corporation had produced 6,063 tons until last month, with sales amounting to 151 billion pounds, estimating the profits achieved during this period at about 18 billion pounds.
Abido pointed out that the reason for the decline in the area planted with tobacco during the current season is 75,000 dunams, distributed among 39,000 farmers, as a result of the prevailing weather conditions and the lack of rain, in addition to the difficulty in providing the fuel oil needed for drying and fertilizers in the required manner.
Abido indicated that the value of buying tobacco of all kinds from farmers during the current season 2021-2022 is estimated at 30 billion pounds, to be paid from the institution's revenues, noting that the institution is conducting a study for a project to purchase a new machine for the manufacture of long cigarettes within the investment plan and has prepared two production lines for the manufacture of short cigarettes in Tartous governorate with a capacity Productivity up to 400 tons per year.
The Minister of Industry pointed out that the industrial establishments that support and support the state treasury, and the focus today depends on the establishments that depend in their production on locally produced raw materials, such as the General Organization for Tobacco.
Minister Sabbagh called for working outside of stereotypes and manufacturing new items, paying attention to packaging, increasing sales and production, and reducing costs to achieve economic returns.
Ahmed Souliman
