Japan Tobacco International (JTI) signed a renewed agreement with the Italian Ministry of Agriculture (MIPAAF) for the purchase of Italian tobacco leaf over a four year period, the company announced in a press release.

The new four year agreement between JTI and the MIPAAF follows a number of three year leaf purchasing commitments between the parties. It will see JTI invest a further estimated EUR 160 million (USD 179 million) in Italy over the four year period, bringing the cigarette maker’s total investment in the Italian tobacco sector to EUR 620 by 2020, the company said.
“For the first time, the company is committing to a four-year memorandum of understanding designed to secure further stability for the Italian tobacco sector,” Pier Carlo Alessiani, JTI’s chairman and managing director of JTI Italia, commented.