Philip Morris Ukraine, one of the largest producers of cigarettes in Ukraine, reduced cigarette output 4.6 per cent year-on-year to 8.271 billion cigarettes in the first quarter of 2006, reports Interfax news agency.

Philip Morris Ukraine produced 2.715 billion cigarettes in March, down 5.1 per cent year-on-year, the Ukrtyutyun association of Ukrainian tobacco producers to which the company belongs, told Interfax. Philip Morris's share in the Ukrtyutyun association's overall output amounted to 38.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2006. (pi)