The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) is drafting a decree for imports of 56,284 tonnes of raw tobacco (HS code 2401) under a tariff quota in 2019.

The import quotas follow the regulations on application of tariffs under the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) for its member countries.

This quota is not applied for raw tobacco products originating from ASEAN countries. Importing raw tobacco from ASEAN countries should comply with the provisions of Circular 07/2015/TT-BCT dated 12 May 2015 by the ministry, on the non-application of tariff quota to the imports of raw tobacco. 

The above quota is allocated to traders who are licensed for producing cigarettes by the MoIT. And these traders are in need of raw tobacco for production of cigarettes with a certain percentage of imported raw tobacco certified by the ministry.

Last year, the country imported 53,604 tonnes of raw tobacco under the quota. The proposed import amount in 2019 would be 2,680 tonnes higher than that of 2018.

The ministry is collecting ideas for the draft decree at its portal. — VNS