Cigarette volume increased 0.2 percentage points to 1.3 trillion sticks through the first half of this year, enough to supply every Chinese citizen with 1,000 cigarettes through the six-month period, Xinhua reported.

Farm land devoted to tobacco cultivation declined by 170,000 hectares to 1.23 million hectares, the news agency said in a report citing data from the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA). Excise taxes on tobacco products raised CNY 579.5 billion (EUR 70 billion) in the six-month period ended 30 June. Tobacco taxes comprised 7.8 per cent of gross revenue in the first half, Xinhua said.