China''s Low Tar Cigarette Develops Fast

Source from:  TobaccoChina Online  02/22/2013

In China, more and more low-tar cigarettes enter into cigarette market. In accordance with the development plan of "promoting cigarette development and production in China to higher levels", cigarette output of a tar level of 5mg or lower will reach 100 billion cigarettes by 2015. The difference between current situation and the target is dramatic. To achieve this goal, State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) increased evaluation on term of cigarette (with a tar level of 6mg or lower) output and sales volume. All cigarette manufacturing companies focus on developing and building premium low-tar cigarettes. The low-tar cigarette with a tar level of 6mg or lower will dominant in China's low-tar cigarette market in the future.

Ten manufacturing companies involved

10 of 18 total manufacturing companies in China have the capability to manufacture cigarette with a tar level of 6mg or lower, especially, China Tobacco Hubei Industrial Corp., China Tobacco Jilin Industrial Corp., Chuanyu ITC. and China Tobacco Fujian Industrial Corp. have three or more brands with a tar level of 6mg or lower, and all of them have stronger R &D and production capacity on these products.

Timelist

As time goes by, cigarette manufacturing companies paid more attention to the cigarette with a tar level of 6mg or lower.

In 2005, Changbaishan (Verve) opened a new era for the 5-mg tar cigarette. The development of this section cigarette entered into an expansion stage in 2011.

Broader development space

In 6-mg tar cigarette market, there are 15 brands, and in 5-mg tar cigarette market, 12 brands, and they accounted to 90 percent of total cigarette with a tar level of 6mg or lower, and they will have broader development space in the future.

A wider range of consumer groups

From the point of target consumers, most the low-tar cigarette targets to high-end crowd and elite with a higher level of consumption, and some target to the vast number of consumers with uncertain age, occupation and income, also some brands designed for young fashion consumer groups.

Four ways to reduce tar

Four key ways are taken to reduce the tar levels in these cigarettes: one is to adopt high quality leaf tobacco, at least aging 2 years, as main ingredient, adding flavors and fragrances to reduce tar and improve taste; the second is to adopt reducing tar technology in production process, such as low-temperature extraction, molecular distillation, microwave, lyophilization; the third is to adopt physical methods, such as add grooves, flavor capsule, plant essential oil and embossing pure fiber filter paper in filters; the fourth is to adopt chemical ways, such as add all kinds of plant extract essence etc..

Note: All the data in this article by early Sep. 2012. Enditem