Investigation: Tobacco in Tunisia, Facts and Figures

Diving into the hazy world of cigarettes. It appears that without a total overhaul, the sector will remain exposed to many abuses. Unless, as a last resort, we move towards its privatization. Status quo.

Tunisians consume (brace yourselves) one billion 200 thousand packets of cigarettes per year, according to a study involving three local NGOs. The same study indicates that nearly fourteen thousand of our citizens die each year due to tobacco consumption. These frightening and macabre figures not only bring misfortune, as this sector can still boast a valuable asset, namely that it brings in a lot of money to the state treasury. Therefore, all governments that have succeeded each other since independence have never considered touching it, let alone privatizing it. However, since the revolution, the National Tobacco and Matches Board (RNTA) has stumbled, with more lows than highs.