“Smuggling surpassed 40 % in the Lebanese market
but the seriousness of our campaign changed the policies of the companies that cover these actions”
Seklaoui, during the RLTT’s annual dinner: the sector’s revenue reached 495 million USD
The RLTT’s General Manager and President Eng. Nassif Seklaoui declared during the annual dinner of the establishment, which was held yesterday, Monday, at Hilton Habtour, that the volume of the RLTT’s business during 2015 reached 650 million USD, whereas the sector’s revenue reached 495 million USD, announcing that a new industrial production line will be inaugurated during the upcoming year.
Along with Eng. Seklaoui, the dinner was attended by members of the Administration Committee Eng. Georges Hobeika and Eng. Mazen Abboud, as well as some of Ministry of Finance figures, Director of the National News Agency Mrs. Laure Sleiman, agents of foreign tobacco companies, Head of sales, and Head or representatives or other parties that collaborate with the RLTT.
In his speech, Seklaoui ensured that the RLTT works hard in order to “distinguish itself during a period in which ts revenues starting next month, after a temporary halt due to municipal elections.
KHALIL
Once again, and during the ceremony, Khalil praised the “remarkable and successful job that the Regie applies in its approach, not only when it comes to tobacco farming and production but also concerning the harmonization of developmental projects that formed the base of performance in this establishment in the last years.”
While Khalil considered this step as an “important and visionary work”, he noticed that “the whole country, from constitutional to political establishments, is deactivated up to a point of full paralyze. Still, there is a chance of collaboration between the Regie and a number of municipalities along the country”. He noticed that “this step comes within the program of sustainable development that the Regie had launched few months ago”, ensuring that “this program shall not be limited to supporting municipalities in developmental projects executed by the Regie. However, it shall reach a point of promoting the mentality of development and implanting different projects that reinforce this direction in local communities represented by municipalities.”
Khalil continued: “we reassure today that we back new municipalities in launching their new projects and allocating them such grants that strength their role on different levels, which will continue in the next few years. However, it shall as well evolve to include more advanced projects that would be at the service of these villages.”
Khalil considered that: “the experience of municipal elections that the country went through shall be complemented on the political level by taking all required steps in preparation for parliament elections on time and following a new electoral law; capable of reflecting the representation of public in an honest and transparent manner. From our point of view, such law shall follow proportional representation, which provides such interactive and real involvement.”
He underlined that: “the political panorama of the nation would never be complete, neither would be the administration that would accompany and follow municipalities in their projects, not only relating to the Regie but also relating to the government, unless regulating the work of public and political administrations. Likewise, our political life would never be complete in the absence of a President as well as in the absence of the ability of the Parliament to normally and constantly function in order to achieve to a real activation of the government, which shall be involved in the role of following municipalities and responding to the people’s needs.”
He added: “yesterday we were discussing the financial situation in the government, and we noticed how huge this challenge is, how much cooperation it requires between all parties, and how much joint efforts are needed in order to fix the situation. However, the focal point will always be the activation of political life through setting the functionality of public establishments. Otherwise, our measures would stay weak and malfunctioned.”
At the end of his speech, Khalil ensured that: “the Ministry of Finance is committed to provide the municipalities’ revenue from the mobile sector consecutively every three months, as agreed.” He said: “maybe we are a month late in this concern but that was due to municipal elections, since we were not planning to transfer these allocations before elections.
Nonetheless, I pronounce today that the sums that we have previously agreed to allocate to municipalities from the mobile telecommunication sector will be periodically and consecutively transferred starting next month, so that this procedures will follow the mechanisms for which we had set.”
SEKLAOUI
In turn, Seklaoui announced that: “with these grants, the Regie would be complementing the series of developmental projects in cooperation with the municipalities for the fourth consecutive year, under the sponsorship and support of the Minister Mr. Khalil.” he added: “within the strategy of sustainable development that we launched under the patronage and in the presence of Chief of the Parliament President Berri, last March, we set a list of developmental projects that would benefit villages, which are considered the cornerstone in developing local communities tied to the Regie, and especially the class of tobacco farmers.”
Seklaoui pointed that: “this year we are participating in 14 projects in 14 different villages, in addition to two other projects that will be financed with contributions from tobacco companies.” As well, he explained: “the proposed projects were selected upon specifying and understanding the environment and the needs of each village, and studying the link between these needs and the function of our establishment on economic, environmental, and social levels.”
Seklaoui added: “departing from the importance of these projects, the surveillance will be well studied and systematized, following performance index that aims to control the effectiveness of these projects and their impact on farmers and society as well as the village in general, since our goal is to stay effective economically as well as developmentally in tobacco farming areas. Likewise we look for our projects to be more efficient and useful.”
The following villages will benefit from the grants: Al Haissa, Borj Al Arab, Houmeiri, Toura, and Al Qleila (Tyre District). Al Qouzah, Debel, and Rmeich (Bent Jbeil District). Bleida and Bani Hayan (Marje’ioun District). Chaet, Al Saida, Hosh Tal Safia (Baalbek District). Additionally, from the cooperation between Imperial Tobacco and the Regie will benefit; Arqa (Akkar District) from irrigation canals, and Sidikin (Tyre District) from rain water canals.