10s Packs Ban Takes Toll in Pakistan

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 03/06/2012

Philip Morris Pakistan is reducing the scale of operations at its smallest factory, which is located in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, according to a story by Farooq Tirmizi for The Express Tribune quoting a PM press note. The company was said to have cited 'difficult economic conditions' including high taxes and low consumer purchasing power as a primary reasons for the decision, which it described as 'difficult, but necessary'. It pointed out also that the main activity of the factory had become obsolete, a reference to a 2010 law that banned the marketing and sale of packs of 10-cigarettes, which were the mainstay of the company's operations at Mandra. PM declined to say whether the factory would be shut down completely, and did not disclose how many of the factory's employees would be laid off. Enditem