Customs officers are taught how to identify counterfeit tobacco

Baku/20.02.14/Turan : Baku hosts a seminar on " Determination of counterfeit tobacco products and combating illicit trafficking in them ."

The press service of the State Customs Committee (SCC) told Turan, the seminar is held for 25 employees of the central apparatus of the SCC and its territorial customs offices. It is organized by Japan Tobacco International (JTI).

JTI expert Marianne Gericke spoke about the urgent problems of illicit trade in tobacco products , and organizations struggle with this process by customs authorities. The seminar brings together specialists from Germany and Switzerland .

The chief of the SCC department for fight against crime in the customs Guloglan Muradli noted that Azerbaijan has conducted a tough fight against illicit trade , including tobacco . According to him, there is close cooperation between government agencies with private companies to organize the fight against counterfeit and counterfeit tobacco products .

"JTI is taking all measures to organize the fight against tobacco smuggling worldwide , and such training will continue in the future," said the head of JTI in Azerbaijan Namig Guliyev .

According to the SCC in 2013, customs officials prevented smuggling into the territory of Azerbaijan of 516,520 pieces of tobacco products.

In the foreign trade department of the State Statistics Committee they told Turan, that in 2013 Azerbaijan imported 13,065,400 cigarettes and cigars worth $ 333,045,300.

In 2010-2012, Azerbaijan imported tobacco and tobacco products totaling $ 228,136,900, $ 248,655,600 and $303,597,200.

According to estimates of the State Statistics, in January of this year compared with January 2013 the retail price of cigarettes in Azerbaijan grew by 19.5%.

Over the past 4 years cigarette imports to Azerbaijan in value terms increased by 50%. Three companies are involved in imports of cigarettes into Azerbaijan. -08D-