Chronicles of Turkmenistan reports that Turkmenistan has been experiencing an acute shortage of cigarettes for the third consecutive month.
No cigarettes are reportedly available in state-run stores which have the exclusive right to sell tobacco products.
In privately-owned stores where cigarettes are sold “under the counter”, the price for a pack of cigarettes has reached 55 manat (equivalent to US$15.70 using the state-determined exchange rate) or 2 to 3 manat if you buy them per piece.
In late August cigarettes were sold at 25-30 manat. Originally, cigarettes had cost 9,5-11 manat per pack in state-run stores.
In March this year, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov signed a decree authorizing Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations with an exclusive right to import tobacco products to Turkmenistan and determine minimum retail prices according to the established procedure.
Many entrepreneurs, who used to import tobacco products in Turkmenistan, have reportedly been arrested, according to Chronicles of Turkmenistan.
The tobacco market in Turkmenistan is now regulated by the government.
