ISLAMABAD: Pakistan exported tobacco and cigarettes worth $12.82 million in the first eight months of the current fiscal year from a year ago.

This was stated by Commerce Minister Engr. Khuarram Dastgir Khan in response to a question by MNA Ms Surriya Jatoi.

The minister said that the exports, in the shape of tobacco as well cigarettes, were made to 23 different countries in the past eight months (July-Feb 2014).

Of these, the major share is of raw tobacco worth $11.927m. The major recipients of the exports were Indonesia ($4.009m), followed by UAE ($3.046m).

Italy and Philippines shared over $1m of tobacco imports from Pakistan during the period under review.

The other European countries which also imported tobacco from Pakistan in value less than one million dollar include UK, the Netherlands, Poland, Greece, Germany and Belgium.

The non-EU countries which imported raw tobacco from Pakistan in value less than a million dollar mark include Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Russia, USA.

Cigarettes were exported only to Middle Eastern countries during the period under review. The total value of cigarettes exports stood at $0.901m in July-Feb 2014.

Of these, export of $0.027m cigarettes were exported to Bahrain, $0.101m to Kuwait, $0.041m to Oman, $0.246m to Saudi Arabia and $0.094m to UAE, during the period under review.