Production and consumption of tobacco 1998-2012

Open Data Albania has undertaken a research on the production, import and export of tobacco during the past fourteen years. Tobacco as raw material for cigarette manufacturing industry has shown high levels of production before the 90s. In the country there were some units that cultivated collected and processed tobacco. Albania was marked as a country with cigarette exports with some domestic brands.

Currently, data from Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection show that in 2012 there was produced 2,000 tons of tobacco. The production has declined during 1998-2012.

Over the last 14 years of tobacco production has fallen by 73%. The absence of the domestic cigarette industry, wrong agricultural policies and competition from imports has contracted tobacco cultivation.

Source:Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection
Processing and comments: ODA

Tobacco production during 1998-2012 (in tons)

^{Source:Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection
Processing and comments: ODA}

Domestic production is being exported mainly towards Kosovo as the industry is missing. Some quantity of domestic production covers needs of unprocessed tobacco consumption in the country.
About 56% of tobacco produced in the country in 2012 was exported to foreign markets, mainly in Kosovo. In total, it results that 1,120 tons of tobacco have been exported.

Albania consumes high amounts of cigarettes, imported from foreign countries. In 2012, total consumption of tobacco and cigarettes in the local market reached to 4,600 tons. This quantity is composed from open tobacco and imported cigarettes. Tobacco market in the country is dominated by imports, which are managed by large international companies.

During last year there were imported a total of 3,688 tons of cigarettes, registering a fall of 7.7% compared to 2005.

^{Source:Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection
Processing and comments: ODA}

Cigarette imports during 2005-2012 (in tons)

^{Source:Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection
Processing and comments: ODA}

It results that in total there were consumed 4,600 tons of unprocessed tobacco and cigarettes within the country.

Source:Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection
Processing and comments: ODA

Share of domestic production and import in consumption during 2005-2012 (in %)

^{Source:Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection
Processing and comments: ODA}

The volume of cigarette market is considered high because Albania is the second country in Europe, after Turkey, with the highest percentage of smokers in population. About 40% of Albanian population is smokers.

Despite the consumption of tobacco is high and Albania is a potential production country, the market continues to be dominated largely by importers.

Importers note that there is a shift of customers towards ‘open tobacco’, which is mainly sold in the ?black? market and produced in mountainous areas of Shkodra. Consumers that purchase this tobacco are mainly with low incomes.