Tobacco Market in China 2012

The Tobacco Market in China is part of Netscribes' Food & Beverage Industry Series reports. China is the largest cigarette producer and consumer in the world. The Chinese tobacco market is poised to witness phenomenal growth owing to rise in smokers' population coupled with changing lifestyle and affordability.

The report begins with the global tobacco market overview comprising the global market size and expected growth until 2012. The global cigarette production and consumption country-wise is also included along with the growth in global cigarette consumption. The global cigarette consumption pattern entails the share of male and female smokers in developed as well as developing countries worldwide.

The domestic tobacco market overview provides details on the industry size in terms of tobacco sales and projected growth for the period 2010-15. This section includes the growth of cigarette consumption. The future growth prospect of Chinese tobacco industry is discussed in detail. This is followed by the share of total tobacco consumers and the share of smokers in the urban and rural population, specifying the share of overall smoking population, share of male smoking population and share of female smoking population for both urban and rural population. Also, mentions the share of smokers in the various age groups, specifying the share of overall smoking population, share of male smoking population and share of female smoking population for each age group. The segment for the price assessment of cigarettes sold in China has been provided in the report. Further, the important tobacco leaf producing provinces are mapped.

The report provides detailed information about the exports and imports of tobacco products. It provides country-wise import and export for the year 2010. Import and export data provided are in value terms.

Factors driving the growth of tobacco market in China include growing smokers' population, accelerating urbanization and changing lifestyle, young smokers to drive cigarette sales and gift culture.

Key players operating in the market also face challenges which are impeding their development and growth. Major challenges identified include increasing consumer awareness on health issues, rising medical costs and ban on smoking in public places and media advertising.

The report also highlights the role of government in the country's tobacco sector. It evaluates the steps taken by the government in view of consolidating the tobacco industry. The plan adopted by the government organization in order to enhance international competitiveness is also given. Further, an overview of various research and development initiatives undertaken by the government, particularly those for the ‘low-tar' or ‘less harmful' cigarettes are also discussed briefly.

Emerging trends in the tobacco market include rising female smokers, growing popularity of ‘low-tar' cigarettes, brand promotion through charity, innovative marketing strategies and strategies to capture the health-concerned consumers.

Investment opportunity section in the report elaborates on the basic two processes in the tobacco value chain, providing detailed information about the available ways of investing in the Chinese tobacco sector.

The competition section outlays the competitive landscape of the tobacco industry in China briefing about the domestic and foreign players existing in the market. This section provides a three dimensional analysis of key players' revenues, profits and market capitalization. The report also features brief profiles of major domestic and foreign players in the market and a snapshot of their corporation, financial performance, business highlights and their product portfolio, providing an insight into the existing competitive scenario.

Some of the key industry relevant statistics covered in the report includes global market size, global cigarette production and consumption country-wise, domestic market size, domestic cigarette consumption figures, country wise comparison of cigarette prices, export-import figures, rise in total population and urbanization rate, consumer base, per capita urban disposable income, grade 1 cigarette sales, share of young population, average tobacco related deaths, share of deaths due to lung-cancer, tax and profits shared by CNTC, decline in no. of cigarette brands and companies, annual ‘low-tar' cigarette sales volume and income etc.

Key takeaways section summarizes the entire market in terms of opportunities, trends and challenges persisting in the tobacco market in China.