[Intl-tobacco] China: Four Objectives of Beijing Tobacco Industry in Next Five Years (fwd)

[Robert Weissman]

Four Objectives of Beijing Tobacco Industry in Next Five Years
Source: Tobacco China, Thursday, 2/1/01

Gu A¡¯chao, general manager of the Beijing Municipal Tobacco Monopoly
Bureau, outlined four major tasks for the Tenth Five-year (2001-2005)
period at the 2001 National Tobacco Conference.

In the first place, the comprehensive strength of the trade will be
enhanced.  The tobacco industry should raise its annual cigarette output
to 250,000-300,000 boxes (each box contains 10,000 cigarettes), double its
profits to make it reach 1.5 billion yuan and increase the value of its
net assets to 3 billion yuan.

Secondly, the competitiveness of its products will be enhanced. The
tobacco sector of Beijing is to create a series of namebrand products led
by "Zhongnanhai" and expand their production scale. The amount of
cigarettes produced and sold in Beijing is to make up 70 percent of the
total. Cigarettes for export will be quadrupled by 2005 to reach 20,000
boxes and the export value will be increased to 10 million US dollars.

Thirdly, irregularities in production and management will be effectively
curbed to eradicate the internal cause for illegal trade.

Fourth, the overall quality of workers will be raised. By 2005, the ratio
of university and secondary technical school graduates among workers and
the ratio of university and post-graduate degree holders among officials
above the level of section will be increased by a big margin.

To attain the four objectives, the tobacco trade in Beijing must readjust
its product mix, the structure of marketing and management systems and the
information strategy. Enditem