An ongoing tobacco shortage has left Egypt’s 18 million smokers stuck between record-high prices and an unrelenting nicotine dependency. The popular Cleopatra Box pack could be found at any vendor, smoking shop, or kiosk at the price of EGP 24 a few months back. Consumers report that the same pack of cigarettes today costs more than twice the price in the black market. “I have been smoking Cleopatra for more than two decades. I remained loyal to this brand for years,” Hoda Ibrahim, 59, tells Egyptian Streets. “It’s beyond frustrating. One pack now costs me around EGP 55.” Price Hikes Egyptians have grown accustomed to news of cigarette price hikes over the past three years. In response to increases in production costs and the import of raw materials, coupled with the devaluation of the Egyptian pound against the dollar, companies have resorted to raising the prices of their tobacco and shisha products. The Eastern Tobacco Company, Egypt’s largest cigarette producer, increased their products’ prices in late March of this year. Depending on the product, the price officially spans a range between EGP 10 and EGP 33. Tobacco giant Phillip Morris…
With the Ongoing Tobacco Shortage in Egypt, Smokers Find Themselves Pushed to a Corner
August 20, 2023
