Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- At the beginning of November JSC JV "UZBAT A.O." (part of the BAT Group) shipped the first batch of tobacco-free nicotine sachets to the Republic of Belarus in the amount of US$120,000.

In August JSC JV "UZBAT A.O." announced the opening of a workshop for packaging tobacco-free nicotine snus (nicotine packets without tobacco) at the Samarkand cigarette factory.

This year the company invested US$1 million in a new workshop, purchasing three packaging machines, several dozen units of other equipment, special production furniture and accessories, as well as conducting technical preparation of the premises for increased sanitary and hygienic requirements.

New jobs were created. In the workshop, 75 residents of the town of Farkhod of the city of Samarkand got jobs. A three-shift work was established.

Before the opening of this shop, it was planned not only to supply nicotine bags to the domestic market of Uzbekistan, but also to export them to those countries where they are legally in circulation since 2019.

Fulfilling its obligations, at the beginning of November JV UZBAT shipped the first batch of nikpacks to the Republic of Belarus in the amount of US$120,000. By the end of the year, additional shipments are planned for another US$100,000.

Consultations are underway on possible deliveries of nikpak packaged in Samarkand to Ukraine.

This is the first, albeit still a small step, in establishing the export of new nicotine-containing products for oral consumption to the CIS and Eastern Europe.

The company relies on the export of this product and, if things go well, additional investments will be made in the project.

It should be noted that at the end of 2019, the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan clarified that non-tobacco nicotine bags are a substitute for tobacco products and are subject to the same principles of regulation in terms of restrictions on retail trade and advertising as tobacco products.