Grodno-based tobacco plant Neman, Belarus’ largest cigarette making facility with an annual capacity of 15 billion pieces, has negotiated a contract on making BAT’s brand Alliance locally, reports BELTA news agency.

The production process is currently being adjusted, after a trial batch was made by the Grodno facility. Licensed manufacturing of Alliance is to start by the end of the year, with raw tobacco and other materials supplied by BAT, as Vladimir Aksyonov, Director of Corporate Affairs for BAT Russia, confirmed to the press. According to a spokesman for the Belarus state concern Belgospisheprom, production is to be launched even earlier, as of 1 July 2005 already. (vt)