The number of legal tobacco retail outlets in Russia increased by 5% to 246 thousand in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period a year earlier. This was announced by Deputy Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Ekaterina Priezzheva during the International Industrial Exhibition "Innoprom. Central Asia".
"The level of illegal turnover of labeled goods, as a rule, decreases annually, we also see a significant fiscal effect. For example, the number of legal retail outlets of tobacco products for the first quarter of 2023 compared to the first quarter of 2022 increased by 5% from 234 to 246 thousand. In the first quarter of 2023, the number of legal tobacco producers increased by 16% compared to the same period in 2022," the Deputy minister said.
She noted that product labeling is currently an effective tool to combat illegal trafficking.
About labeling
The national system of digital labeling "Honest Sign" has been introduced in Russia since 2019 to combat illegal turnover of products. One of the first groups of products included in the system was tobacco. By 2023, the share of illegal trafficking was reduced - from 15.6% in 2019 to 12.2% by the end of the fourth quarter of 2022.
In addition to tobacco, the labeling applies to dairy products, mineral and drinking water, beer and low-alcohol beverages, medicines, shoes, light industry goods, fur coats, perfumes, tires and cameras.
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