The Regie Libanaise des Tabacs et Tombacs (RLTT) announced that the anti-trafficking efforts it has deployed during the last two months with the aim of reducing this growing phenomenon resulted in issuing 14 violation fines.
The Regie stated that the issued fines amounted to LBP 222 million, whereas the total amounts related to tobacco cases and collected by virtue of settlements at the Regie’s central Fund amounted to LBP 58 million.
A number of the vehicles used for the transportation of smuggled products were also confiscated and unsettled fines were referred to justice to act accordingly.
and projects”; the Regie’s 80th anniversary was “the greatest evidence that every year the establishment is growing younger, and every time it grows more mature it gives even more, of course under the patronage of the minister of Finance Mr. Ali Hassan Khalil, the MoF, and its general manager Mr. Alain Beffani”.
“At the beginning of 2016, we launched, from President Berri’s office, a long term workshop that shall last over the next ten years, under which we have set a sustainable development plan. Then, we have set clear objectives aiming to uniqueness, we wanted for the Regie to become one of the most renowned international tobacco companies. Indeed, our vision have transformed into goals and our goals into achievements”, he added.
“We declare today with much proud and pride that the Regie is the first public facility to being rewarded the ISO 9001: 2015; a certification that the Regie had deserved by excellence following months of hard work and years of accumulating experience, aiming to meliorate the performance and to achieve competitive quality of national product over local market.”
Ensuring the “national industry is in its best”, Seklaoui stressed that the Regie had launched “a huge workshop in order to restore a sorting plant in Ghazieh, which was inaugurated lately. Thanks to the restoration works that had reached every aspect of the establishment, now we own the most advanced sorting plants in the Middle East.”
“We have invested in national industry and achieved great results that succeeded every expectation. We have raised tobacco production by 76% comparing to 2015, whereas it reached 400 thousand boxes during 2016; the result of 18 working hours of our employees that were up to the challenge responding to the market’s need”, he added.
“The novelty of the 2017 is a new production line, four new brands, and the execution of the agreement of manufacturing Imperial Tobacco’s international brands in our national plants starting mid next year”. “Concerning the support of farming and farmers, which is our most important goal, few days ago we, concludingly and smoothly, received North and South harvest. As well, we have brought to an end our developmental projects in tobacco and tumbac farming villages, reaching 72 developmental projects in Akkar, South, and Bekaa.”
Seklaoui continued: “on the commercial level, our figures reached 675 million USD, our sales raised by 11% and our profits raised by 5%. We were able to control smuggling, which fell down to 22% instead of 30%. Our ambition for the growth indicator is to reach 10% during 2017 surpassing 2016’s figures”. “On the administrative level, we have invested in our employees as much as we have invested in industry. We were able to train more than 800 employees in cooperation with IFBS, in specialized sessions inside and abroad. For the first time, we have launched a juvenile cultural initiative through a photography competition, in which 249 photographers had participated and whose works were exhibited in an exhibition that we have called “Manchar Souwar”.
Sekalaoui stressed that “achievements for the Regie are a merited success but they remain a responsibility that consists of keeping the income of this sector. Such achievements were able to defeat those who were questioning the public sector’s capability to reach such uniqueness and success.”
“The Regie became a gold mine but only after having been a coal mine. Our gold bullions are sealed with quality and thanks to our young ladies and gentlemen and each and every loyal person belonging to this establishment we will become a diamond mine, regaining the trust in public facilities.”