Ceylon Tobacco Company - Our industry

In Sri Lanka, the legal cigarette industry has provided a reliable source of revenue to the Government while enriching livelihoods by creating jobs and supporting livelihoods across the value chain.

The legal cigarette industry in Sri Lanka is one of the most highly regulated with our products being subjected to extensive product, marketing regulations as well as high taxation requirements. As the only legal cigarette manufacturer in the country, CTC’s contribution to the country’s economy in terms of government revenue amounted to LKR 121 billion in 2019 while supporting over 178,000 livelihoods.

The tobacco industry in Sri Lanka, consists of legally manufactured cigarettes (31%), beedi (61%) and illegal or smuggled cigarettes (8%). Over the last decade, total smoking has increased with declining legal cigarette volumes while beedi and smuggled products have grown in the absence of a level playing field.