TTM Looks to Export what it May Not Sell at Home

Source from:  tr.itsmyiq.com Aug 14, 2008 08/15/2008

The Thailand Tobacco Monopoly (TTM) is looking to penetrate cigarette markets in Poland and Russia to compensate for declining consumption on its home market, according to a report by Achara Deboonme for The Nation. TTM has had some success in the past in exporting cigarettes, but these have gone mainly to expatriates workers living in Singapore, Taiwan, Brunei and the Middle East. It now plans to reinforce those export efforts by launching new brands and by entering fresh markets. Poland and Russia are seen as particularly attractive because, according to the report, their economies are expanding but their tobacco regulations are not as strict as those in Thailand. "We have a rough target for the ratio of export revenue to total revenue, but the process takes time, as trial and error is involved in the development of cigarette tastes," said spokesman, Prapassorn Phongphanpisan. "Meanwhile, as a state agency, we are governed by rules and regulations. Still, we must seek additional revenue, as this is our mission and this is a means to ensure the organization's survival." In line with the government's anti-smoking policy, TTM has no plan to launch new brands on the domestic market. Enditem