Increase in cigarette prices in Egypt pushes smokers to find alternatives

CAIRO: Recent successive increases in the price of cigarettes in Egypt, both domestic and foreign, have prompted many citizens to abandon the brands they once smoked, opting instead to search for cheaper ones or switch to smoking hookahs in cafes or at home.

Among those affected is Ahmed Fathi, a journalist, who told Arab News: “Hookah is much cheaper than cigarettes now, first because it does not make me smoke much, only once or twice a week, and the price I pay for both times is close to the price of one pack of cigarettes.”

Fathi said: “I have been smoking cigarettes for almost 20 years, and the local cigarettes did not exceed 2 pounds, while the foreign ones cost 5 pounds. In the last ten years, there has been a very large increase in the prices of cigarettes, and the local ones now reach up to 50 pounds, while the imported ones exceed them by 20 pounds, going up to 70 and sometimes 80 pounds.”

He said: “If I smoked enough for hookah, I would not pay half of these amounts in one day. That is why I went to hookah, but it remains difficult. I used to smoke for 20 years, and it is difficult for me to quit.”

Farid Mohammed, a worker in a coffee shop, shared his own experience: “I am a very heavy smoker, but recently I have been trying to quit smoking because of the high prices, and what I notice is that there is a great deal of exploitation by merchants by raising the prices of cigarettes above the prices announced by the companies.”

Mohammed said: “I only need 1,500 pounds for cigarettes every month. I buy a pack of LM cigarettes daily, for 62 pounds per pack, although the official price for them is 42 pounds. People sell according to their mood in kiosks and supermarkets.”

He added: “I will not go to smoke hookah, first because most of my time is spent in a cafe that offers hookah, and this means that I will not have time to smoke hookah. The solution for me is to quit smoking and drink tea, as it maintains my psychological balance daily.”

Sayed Farghali, a seller in a retail kiosk, takes a different approach: “I consider my conscience in selling, I earn reasonable money and do not increase the price of cigarettes. They come to me from big merchants with an amount, to which I add a very small amount, which is my earning, but there are sellers who take advantage of the situation and add a lot of money.

“We have been suffering for weeks from the presence of cigarettes in the first place, as the big merchants and importers have refrained from supplying them to us, and this is what created a crisis in the market, and I notice that there is a somewhat reduced demand for them,” he said.

This recent shift in consumer behavior highlights the complex relationship between price, availability and personal choices in the ever-changing landscape of Egypt’s tobacco market. It raises questions about consumer protection and regulations, and draws attention to the struggles of smokers grappling with their addiction amid fluctuating prices.