Philip Morris Ukraine prepares to resume exports from new plant in Lviv region
Philip Morris Ukraine is considering the possibility of exporting cigarettes manufactured at a new factory in the Lviv region to countries located near Ukraine, Interfax Ukraine reports.
During the round table "Current issues of Ukraine's economic recovery and the role of state and business structures in this process," the company's CEO Maksym Barabash emphasized that the domestic cigarette market in Ukraine is stable.
"There is no potential for growth in cigarette production in Ukraine, because it is a fairly stable market. As before the war, there is potential in exports. We will look at which countries this can be done to," Barabash noted.
He added that before the start of the Russian Federation's full-scale war against Ukraine, the company's factory in Kharkiv produced 20 billion cigarettes, half of which were for export, including to Japan.
Barabash said that returning to the Japanese market will likely be difficult due to the war, but the company sees prospects in exports to countries geographically close to Ukraine.
After the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, Philip Morris Ukraine halted production in Kharkiv. In response, it invested $30 million in the construction of a new plant in Lviv region, which opened in May 2024.
The enterprise has five production lines and has already reached its planned capacity of 10 billion cigarettes per year.
In addition, the company invested another UAH 60 million in the construction of its own shelter on the factory premises. It can accommodate up to 170 people and is designed to protect both employees and local residents.
- Since August 2022, Philip Morris Ukraine has temporarily begun cigarette production at the Imperial Tobacco factory in Kyiv.
- In February 2023, Philip Morris admitted that the company may never leave Russia.
