Tobacco products accounted for about 42 percent of total exports of food, beverages and tobacco and about 6 percent of total exports of consumer goods, according to National Institute of Statistics (INS) data.
In turn, British American Tobacco (BAT) announced that it exported about 60 percent of its production in Ploiesti unit, BAT’s second largest factory in Europe, a press release informs.
INS reveals that the total value of exports of raw and processed tobacco in 2017 reached EUR 730.5 million, four times the amount of exports of various food products.
“BAT plant in Ploiesti has doubled the production capacity in recent years, with the increase in volumes being for export. Currently, more than 60 percent of the cigarettes produced in Ploiesti go to 45 other countries around the world, including Russia, Japan, Brazil, Italy, the United Kingdom and Denmark. The capacity to continue to invest in the plant’s development depends on the existence of a predictable economic environment. Increasing our production capacity is directly reflected in our contribution to the share of exports and, implicitly, to Romania’s trade balance,” Ileana Dumitru, Director Legal & External Affairs, BAT said.
British American Tobacco annually brings about EUR 1.6 billion to the state budget in taxes and fees, being the second largest contributor to Romania’s state budget.