Tobacco

West Bengal extends ban on tobacco-based gutkha, pan masala till Nov 2025

The West Bengal government has extended the ban on manufacturing, storing and selling gutkha and pan masala products containing tobacco or nicotine for another year, starting November 7. The order was issued by the state health department on October 24, citing public health concerns. "The Commissioner of Food Safety of the state is empowered under Section 30 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 to prohibit in the interest of public health, the manufacture, storage, distribution or sale of any article of food in the whole of State, for a period of one year", the order stated.

India has highest oral cancer cases due to betel nut in South Asia: Study

The Lancet Oncology study highlighted that South-Central Asia recorded the highest number of oral cancer cases linked to smokeless tobacco and areca nut use

Govt allows sale of excess tobacco produced by registered growers in Andhra

The government on Wednesday said it has allowed sale of excess FCV tobacco produced by registered growers on auction platforms in Andhra Pradesh for the crop season 2023-24. The commerce ministry has also waived the additional service charges considering the crop damage in an area of 15,028.09 hectares across all soil regions in Andhra Pradesh. It said that the decision will benefit farmers of the state to recover the loss due to cyclonic rains in view of zero penalty on sale of the excess Flue Cured Virginia (FCV)) tobacco produced by registered growers on the auction platforms in Andhra Pradesh for 2023-24 crop season. This consideration will handhold the farmers to overcome their financial plight inflicted due to natural calamity and would greatly help growers continue their livelihood, it added. "Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has approved the sale of the excess Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco produced by registered growers on the auction platforms in ..

Tobacco farmers ask govt to include sector under duty refund scheme Rodtep

Tobacco exporters have asked the government to extend the duty refund scheme RoDTEP to the sector to boost outbound shipments. In a meeting with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in Hyderabad on June 29, traders submitted that tobacco exporters are not covered under any scheme that provides export incentives. They "requested to extend support to tobacco exporters by including them under the RoDTEP scheme," the ministry said in a statement. They also requested the government help in curtailing the unauthorized production and use of chewing tobacco in India due to which there is a huge loss to the government exchequer, it added. They also informed that there is an increase in illicit cigarette sales. The scheme for Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) provides for refund of taxes, duties and levies that are incurred by exporters in the process of manufacturing and distribution of goods and are not being reimbursed under any other mechanism at the cen

World No Tobacco Day 2024: Check history, significance, theme and more

World No Tobacco Day 2024: The world observes No Tobacco Day every year on May 31 for spreading awareness about its potential risks

Phase V constituencies: Women's health insurance remains key challenge

Progress on other development indicators including adolescent pregnancy

Tobacco prices to rise in Andhra after crop failure in Brazil, Indonesia

Prices range between Rs 280 and Rs 290 per kg and are predicted to surpass Rs 300 per kg in Andhra Pradesh market

NZ will ban disposable e-cigarettes to prevent minors from taking up habit

New Zealand said on Wednesday it will ban disposable e-cigarettes, or vapes, and raise financial penalties for those who sell such products to minors. The move comes less than a month after the government repealed a unique law enacted by the previous left-leaning government to phase out tobacco smoking by imposing a lifetime ban on young people buying cigarettes. New Zealand's Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said on Wednesday that e-cigarettes remain a key smoking cessation device and the new regulations will help prevent minors from taking up the habit. While vaping has contributed to a significant fall in our smoking rates, the rapid rise in youth vaping has been a real concern for parents, teachers and health professionals, Costello said. Under the new laws, retailers that sell vapes to children under 18 years of age will face fines of up 100,000 New Zealand dollars (USD 60,000), while individuals will be fined 1,000 New Zealand dollars (USD 600). Other regulations ...

BAT starts $2 billion buyback after selling part of its stake in ITC

The London-listed company said it will purchase £700 million of its shares in 2024 and £900 million by the end of 2025

BAT sells 3.5% stake in ITC for Rs 17,485 cr via open market transactions

British multinational BAT Plc on Wednesday divested a 3.5 per cent stake in FMCG-to-hotel conglomerate ITC Ltd for Rs 17,485 crore through open market transactions. British American Tobacco Plc (BAT), through its affiliate Tobacco Manufacturers (India) Ltd, offloaded more than 43.68 crore equity shares of ITC, amounting to 3.5 per cent stake, according to the block deal data available with the BSE. The shares were sold in 48 tranches, with an average price of Rs 400.25 apiece, taking the transaction value to Rs 17,484.97 crore.

BAT plans to sell up to 3.5% of stake in ITC, will own 25.5% after sale

The sale of 437 million ordinary shares in ITC through a block trade, will cut the Dunhill cigarette maker's shareholding to about 25.5% from about 29%

British American Tobacco to sell ITC stock worth $2-3 bn this week: Report

London-listed BAT has been speaking with Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. about a potential divestment of around $2 billion to $3 billion in ITC stock through block trades, the people said

Spending on paan, tobacco, intoxicants increased in last one decade: Survey

Consumption of paan, tobacco and other intoxicants has increased with people spending a bigger portion of their income on such products in the last 10 years, according to a survey. The Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2022-23, released last week, revealed that the expenditure on paan, tobacco and intoxicants as a portion of total household spending has increased in rural as well as urban areas. The data showed that the expenditure on these items has increased to 3.79 per cent in 2022-23 in rural areas from 3.21 per cent in 2011-12. Similarly, in urban areas, the spending grew from 1.61 per cent in 2011-12 to 2.43 per cent in 2022-23. The proportion of spending on education has reduced to 5.78 per cent in urban areas in 2022-23 from 6.90 per cent in 2011-12. In rural areas, this proportion has come down to 3.30 per cent in 2022-23 from 3.49 per cent in 2011-12. The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, conducted the Hous

Govt waives penalty, approves interest-free loan of FCV tobacco growers

The Ministry of Commerce & Industry have announced measures to support tobacco growers impacted by heavy rainfall, drought in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka

British American Tobacco signals ITC stake disposal, shares soar 7%

The maker of Dunhill and Lucky Strike cigarettes disappointed investors when it opted against a fresh buyback programme last year to focus on reducing debt and investing in new products

Godfrey Phillips Q3 results: Profit rises 6% to Rs 212 cr, revenue up 34%

The company reported a consolidated net profit of 2.12 billion rupees (~$26 mln) for the quarter ended Dec. 31, up 6.6% from last year

IIP growth slows down to 3-month low of 5.8% in September: NSO data

The growth in manufacturing output decelerated to 4.5 per cent, whereas output in electricity and mining accelerated to 9.9 per cent and 11.5 per cent respectively from last month

No compromise on OTT rules on display of anti-tobacco warnings: Govt

There is no compromise on OTT Rules 2023 requiring online streaming platforms to incorporate anti-tobacco warnings in their content, the Union Health Ministry asserted on Saturday and warned of action in case of non-compliance. The ministry termed as "false, misleading and based on misrepresented facts" a media report that recently claimed that the Union Government has reached an uneasy compromise with OTT (over-the-top) streaming services on adding smoking warnings to their content. "The report further claims that some platforms have chosen less intrusive warnings as a result of such an agreement. "The media report is not factually correct and does not reflect the correct picture of the Union Government's commitment towards improving public health as one of its priority duties," the ministry said in a statement. Considering public health as a priority issue, the government has extended the COTP (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products) film rules to OTT platforms also. The OTT Rul

India to find 'pragmatic solutions' on tobacco rules for streaming firms

To curb tobacco use, India in May ordered streaming platforms to insert static health warnings during smoking scenes and at least 50 seconds of anti-tobacco disclaimers at the start

Godfrey shareholders reject proposal to sell unmanufactured tobacco

Shareholders of Godfrey Phillips India have rejected the company's proposal for a related party transaction to annually export unmanufactured tobacco worth up to Rs 1,000 crore to Philip Morris Products SA. Philip Morris Products SA is a member entity of the group to which Philip Morris Global Brands Inc, USA -- a promoter shareholder of the company. As many as 57.94 per cent of the shareholders present at Godfrey Phillips India's annual general meeting on September 1 voted against the "material related party transaction between the company and Philip Morris Products SA". The proposal was to continue supplying unmanufactured tobacco to Philip Morris Products SA on an arm's length pricing and non-exclusive basis, subject to the condition that the aggregate value of the sale/export of the unmanufactured tobacco is up to Rs 1,000 crore in a financial year. The resolution was supported by only 42.06 per cent of the total votes polled in the AGM. An ordinary resolution is passed by a .