On April 20th, a roundtable discussion was held in the city of Orenburg, Russia, regarding the issue of illegal tobacco product trafficking in the Orenburg region. The discussion covered topics such as trends, growing risks, and potential solutions to address the problem.
Sergei Katasunov, Joint Chairman of the Tobacco Industry Expert Committee and Deputy Chairman of the Collaborative Government of Orenburg Oblast, delivered a welcoming speech.
Georgy Golovanov, one of the authors of the draft law on regulation of production and circulation of tobacco products, nicotine-containing products, and their raw materials in the Russian Federation, emphasizes the importance of government legislation to combat the illegal market in the future. The proposed measures include national registration of major technical equipment used in the production of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, issuance of production licenses, and establishment of product turnover review requirements. Additionally, illegal products and production equipment would be seized and destroyed.
The President of the Small Business Trade Association, Vladlen Maximov, outlined the challenges faced by compliant retailers. Firstly, illegal products mimic legitimate products, misguiding consumers. In the context of tobacco advertising bans, informing customers of the characteristics and quality of legitimate products should be permitted at sales points.
Maxim Kurgansky, the Director of Product Protection at Advanced Technology Development Center (CRPT), reported on the success of Russia's labeling system, which has proven to be an effective tool in combating illegal trade.
Andrey Loskutov, Chair of the Nicotine Alliance, stated that the industry is ready for a new order in the production and circulation of tobacco and nicotine-containing products. He also discussed the correlation between consumer groups and the legal and illegal markets.
Denis Terskov, the head of the All-Russian Public Movement "AntiDealer", emphasized the crucial role of the public in combating counterfeit and substandard products.
Representatives from the Ministry of Domestic Affairs, Federal Taxation Bureau, Customs, Human Rights Protection Bureau, and Ministry of Agriculture attended the roundtable conference. The tobacco industry was represented by senior executives from Philip Morris International, BAT, and JTI.
Reference(s):
Roundtable Discussion held in Orenburg
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