Syria Today | British American Tobacco opens plant in Syria

British American Tobacco opens plant in Syria

Syria’s General Organisation of Tobacco (GOT) and British American Tobacco Ltd. (BATUKE) opened a cigarette production plant in Syria.

In its first stage, GOT will make Lucky Strike Soft Cup cigarettes using imported tobacco with an annual production capacity of 800m cigarettes. They will be sold on the Syrian market only for SYP 50 per pack.

According to the Manufacturing Under License (MUL) agreement, GOT has provided the required working space for BATUKE within its factory, while BATUKE has provided the machinery and the technical and quality expertise. The GOT factory in Damascus is owned by the Syrian Local Monopoly. The overall manufacturing area covers 4,000 square metres.

The UK-listed BATUKE company is the world’s second largest tobacco group with a 17 percent share of the global market. The group employs over 55,000 people, operating in over 180 markets around the world. The group’s portfolio includes more than 300 brands, including KENT, Lucky Strike, Dunhill and Pall Mall.

“Manufacturing under license from GOT will ensure the further growth and success of Lucky Strike which has been available on the Syrian market for decades,” BATUKE General Manager Yemen Omar Bseiso said.

“The agreement with BATUKE complements GOT’s vision of upgrading and improving the organisation’s operations,” GOT Director General Faisal Sammaq said.