KARACHI, July 9: Cigarettes consumption is falling in most countries of the world but in Pakistan both production and consumption of this ‘silent killer’ is increasing at an alarming rate.

It must be surprising to note that while the whole world is fighting against smoking more and more Pakistanis are getting hooked, setting new records by manufacturing additional five billion cigarettes each year.

Despite the fact that each packet carries warning that smoking is dangerous for health, the number of smokers is increasing.

In 2005-06 a total 64.14 billion cigarettes were manufactured in the country. This is an official figure, while a substantial number of cigarettes are manufactured in NWFP by unregistered firms. Moreover, every popular brand is imitated locally in small places without quality supervision.

The latest official figures showed that during 2003-06, additional 14.77 billion cigarettes, with a yearly average of 4.92 billion, were produced in the country.

In 2002-03, total number of cigarettes manufactured was 49.37 billion, it rose to 55.40 billion in 2003-04, again jumped to 60.10 billion in 2004-05 and finally reached 64.14 billion in 2005-06.

During July-September 2006-07, a total of 14,22 billion cigarettes were produced showing the rising trend of production of the popular brands of cigarettes.

The official data showed that the country was not a major exporter of cigarettes, which means that most of the cigarettes being produced are consumed locally.

The data recorded a total export of tobacco and its substitutes worth $7.210 million during July-May 2006-07. It was slightly more than previous year.

The fast rate of expansion in the cigarette market is highly attractive for the manufacturers and a recent huge investment by a foreign company is a clear indication of the trend.

Philip Morris International (PMI) on March 9, 2007 announced completion of the acquisition of a 50.21 per cent stake in Pakistan's Lakson Tobacco Co. Ltd. for about $340 million.

The PMI, which now holds around 97.62 per cent shares in Lakson, agreed in January 2007 to acquire the stake in Pakistani tobacco firm at Rs666.89 a share.

The Lakson Tobacco is Pakistan’s second largest tobacco company with an estimated 47 per cent cigarette market share in fiscal year 2006.

Further calculation shows that each Pakistani, including women and children smoke 400 cigarettes each year and if women and children are excluded the estimated 40 per cent Pakistanis smoke 1,066 cigarettes each year.

The advertisements for cigarettes have been stopped but the rise in demand is shockingly high. A number of seminars and workshops are organised each year to create awareness about the injurious role of cigarettes for human health but the result is almost negative.

The cigarette industry is adding 5 billion cigarettes each year to the huge total of 64 billion. The addition of 5 billion cigarettes showed that the market has enormous potential to grow while at the same time Pakistanis are willing to welcome more smokes despite deteriorating average health condition in the country.