Prognoza produkcji i spożycia papierosów w Polsce do 2008 roku

One of the most important branches in Poland is the tobacco industry, which brings about 7-7.5% of Polish budget incomes. The cigarettes are the main part of its production (about 90%). In the second half of 90’s, almost the whole Polish tobacco industry was privatized. Nowadays, the six biggest foreign concerns control about 95-98% of production of cigarettes in Poland. In the last years, the excise on the tobacco products has been growing systematically in consequence of necessity to fit its rate to excise levels in the rest of the EU countries. This is the reason of fast increase in cigarettes prices, particularly in comparison to eastern neighbour states of Poland. One of the consequences of this process is smuggling cigarettes out of eastern borders. At present from 13 to 16% of cigarettes smoked in Poland are of illegal origin. Analysis of changes in production and consumption of cigarettes in Poland in the last years shows the distinctly descendent trend of production in the years 1995-2002, during the privatization of Polish tobacco industry. In the next years, production of cigarettes has been systematically growing. Consumption of cigarettes in Poland has been diminishing systematically from the first half of 90’s. In the whole analyzed period 1970-2004 production and consumption have not exerted a distinct trend, and the trends have been changing very often. Prepared prognosis of production and consumption of cigarettes in Poland for the years 2005-2008 confirms ascendent trend of production, and descendent trend of consumption observed in the last years. On the one hand the most important reason of this processes might be transfer of huge part of production of foreign tobacco concerns to Poland, and on the other hand constant appreciation of cigarette prices in Poland side in last years.