Myanmar's tobacco industry ripe for growth

摘要

Anticipated market liberalisation in democratising Burma is enticing global tobacco companies such as British American Tobacco (BAT) to sell and manufacture cigarettes in Myanmar. However, rampant smuggling of duty-free cigarettes into the country andthe dominance of low-end local brands pose a challenge to legitimate business ventures.BAT returned to Myanmar this year following a decade's absence. The British government asked BAT to leave Myanmar in 2003 following an investigation by the Burma Campaign UK establishing that it had links to the military-backed Union of Myanmar EconomicHoldings (UMEHL).