The Belarusian government issued extra quotas for cigarette import for the current year to the amount of 97 million pieces, in addition to the initially set 1.5 billion sticks, reports the trade news agency, Rustabak.

67 million cigarettes were allotted to the state-owned company, Belarustorg, the remaining 30 million are going to BAT Trading Co, BAT’s local subsidiary. According to the latter’s chief of corporate affairs, Sergey Boury, the additional quota must last through the end of September.
Belarusian authorities have been setting quotas for cigarette import and manufacturing for the last few years, each time having to revise the initial volume because of the tobacco deficit the market faces. The total market need for imported tobacco products is estimated at 4.5 to 5 billion sticks per year.