Ukrainian tobacco companies made 95.845 billion cigarettes over nine months of the year, 8 per cent up from a year before, according to statistics released by the trade guild, SOVAT.

Philip Morris Ukraine retains its leadership on the market, with a share of 32 per cent and a 7.7 per cent output increase year on year. The most impressive 16 per cent production boost has been registered by JTI Ukraine, with 28.4 billion sticks made in nine months. After the JTI-Gallaher merger earlier this year, the company accounts for 29.6 per cent of the overall cigarette production in Ukraine.
Reemtsma Ukraine has increased its output by 8.5 per cent and made 21.4 billion sticks in nine months, bringing its market share to 29.6 per cent, whereas BAT Ukraine continues to draw back, and has posted a 2.5 per cent drop in production since the beginning of the year. The company now holds 14 per cent of the Ukrainian market. At the same time, experts for the industry note that the lower price segment (€ 0.3 and less) accounts for nearly half of the cigarette market in Ukraine, the cheapest and dearest tobacco products differing in price by 1,000 per cent, compared to 50 per cent on most west-European markets. (vt)