The Middle East lifts its e-cigarette ban — what opportunities does this create for e-commerce selle
The Middle East lifts its e-cigarette ban — what opportunities does this create for e-commerce sellers? According to the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA), the ban on e-cigarettes and electronic smoking devices will be lifted in
The Middle East lifts its e-cigarette ban — what opportunities does this create for e-commerce sellers?
According to the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA), the ban on e-cigarettes and electronic smoking devices will be lifted in mid-April this year!
Walking through the streets of Arab countries, you can see groups of Arabs smoking shisha everywhere. Shisha has a history of over 500 years in Arab countries and has become a deeply rooted tradition among Arabs.
However, e-cigarettes have been banned from sale.
But according to the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA), the ban on e-cigarettes and electronic smoking devices will be lifted in mid-April this year. This means that the sale of e-cigarettes will be legalized in the UAE, making it the first country in the Middle East to legalize new tobacco products.
This also signifies that the door to the emerging e-cigarette market is about to open.
The large smoking population in the UAE may become the main force in e-cigarette consumption. According to the World Health Organization, among the approximately 10 million population in the UAE, 28.6% of the smoking population aged 15 and above are male, while 0.7% are female. The average number of cigarettes consumed per adult in the UAE is 583 per year, ranking 82nd in the world. E-cigarettes, as a substitute for traditional cigarettes, also meet the consumption needs of smokers in the UAE to some extent.
Additionally, the per capita GDP in the UAE is as high as $68,000, and the proportion of the young and middle-aged population is as high as 84.96%. New tobacco products are more likely to be accepted by young people in the UAE, and the market for high-end e-cigarette products is also full of potential.
In fact, besides the UAE, countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Egypt in the Middle East and North Africa also represent huge markets for tobacco consumption. In 2016 alone, the retail volume of tobacco in the Middle East and Africa reached 476.1 billion sticks.
Saudi Arabia
According to official data, the number of smokers in Saudi Arabia is as high as six million, with one-tenth being female smokers. The number of smokers is expected to grow to ten million by 2020, potentially accounting for one-third of the future total population of Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, according to Arab News, although e-cigarettes are banned from sale in Saudi Arabia, there is no explicit prohibition against the public using e-cigarettes, and many Saudis have begun to join the trend of vaping.
Iraq
The Iraqi Ministry of Health states that there are ten million smokers in Iraq, accounting for 12.5% of the total population, consuming approximately 55 billion cigarettes annually, spending about 1.8 billion on tobacco products. Additionally, around 2.7 billion cigarettes are smuggled into Iraq each year.
Egypt
Among Egypt's population of approximately 99 million, about 22.8% are smokers, and they have a daily habit of using tobacco products, primarily cigarettes and shisha. The World Health Organization predicts that the number of smokers in Egypt may double compared to 30 years ago as the population grows.
In addition to the smoking consumer base, the trade environment in the Middle East is also suitable for the development of e-cigarette products.
Taking the UAE as an example, it is a financial, economic, maritime, and air transport hub in the Middle East, with a prominent economic status in the region. Dubai is the largest commercial port and trade distribution center in the Middle East. Once the ban on e-cigarettes is lifted, e-cigarette products can not only be sold directly in the UAE but can also be transshipped to other countries through the UAE's free trade zones.
Moreover, the Middle East itself has limited capacity for providing tobacco products, which mostly rely on imports, with the UAE having a high import volume. In 2010, 21 billion cigarettes were imported from South Korea and 8 billion from Turkey. In 2011, approximately 37 billion cigarettes were imported, with most supplies located in Dubai's duty-free zone for transshipment traders and stores. The opening of the e-cigarette market can alleviate some of the import pressure on cigarette products.
However, the lifting of the e-cigarette ban in the UAE does not mean a relaxation of tobacco market management.
A series of standard bills regulating the import, manufacturing, sale, and packaging of e-cigarettes will also be issued in April. E-cigarette manufacturers, retailers, and distributors must strictly adhere to these new standards.
It is reported that the nicotine content in e-cigarettes in the UAE will be strictly controlled, possibly referencing the European Union Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) stipulating that "the nicotine content in e-liquids must not exceed 20 mg/ml."
Similar to traditional tobacco product sales, e-cigarette packaging will also require health and safety graphic warnings, and there will be age restrictions on the consumer population.
According to the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA), the ban on e-cigarettes and electronic smoking devices will be lifted in mid-April this year!
Walking through the streets of Arab countries, you can see groups of Arabs smoking shisha everywhere. Shisha has a history of over 500 years in Arab countries and has become a deeply rooted tradition among Arabs.
However, e-cigarettes have been banned from sale.
But according to the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA), the ban on e-cigarettes and electronic smoking devices will be lifted in mid-April this year. This means that the sale of e-cigarettes will be legalized in the UAE, making it the first country in the Middle East to legalize new tobacco products.
This also signifies that the door to the emerging e-cigarette market is about to open.
The large smoking population in the UAE may become the main force in e-cigarette consumption. According to the World Health Organization, among the approximately 10 million population in the UAE, 28.6% of the smoking population aged 15 and above are male, while 0.7% are female. The average number of cigarettes consumed per adult in the UAE is 583 per year, ranking 82nd in the world. E-cigarettes, as a substitute for traditional cigarettes, also meet the consumption needs of smokers in the UAE to some extent.
Additionally, the per capita GDP in the UAE is as high as $68,000, and the proportion of the young and middle-aged population is as high as 84.96%. New tobacco products are more likely to be accepted by young people in the UAE, and the market for high-end e-cigarette products is also full of potential.
In fact, besides the UAE, countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Egypt in the Middle East and North Africa also represent huge markets for tobacco consumption. In 2016 alone, the retail volume of tobacco in the Middle East and Africa reached 476.1 billion sticks.
Saudi Arabia
According to official data, the number of smokers in Saudi Arabia is as high as six million, with one-tenth being female smokers. The number of smokers is expected to grow to ten million by 2020, potentially accounting for one-third of the future total population of Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, according to Arab News, although e-cigarettes are banned from sale in Saudi Arabia, there is no explicit prohibition against the public using e-cigarettes, and many Saudis have begun to join the trend of vaping.
Iraq
The Iraqi Ministry of Health states that there are ten million smokers in Iraq, accounting for 12.5% of the total population, consuming approximately 55 billion cigarettes annually, spending about 1.8 billion on tobacco products. Additionally, around 2.7 billion cigarettes are smuggled into Iraq each year.
Egypt
Among Egypt's population of approximately 99 million, about 22.8% are smokers, and they have a daily habit of using tobacco products, primarily cigarettes and shisha. The World Health Organization predicts that the number of smokers in Egypt may double compared to 30 years ago as the population grows.
In addition to the smoking consumer base, the trade environment in the Middle East is also suitable for the development of e-cigarette products.
Taking the UAE as an example, it is a financial, economic, maritime, and air transport hub in the Middle East, with a prominent economic status in the region. Dubai is the largest commercial port and trade distribution center in the Middle East. Once the ban on e-cigarettes is lifted, e-cigarette products can not only be sold directly in the UAE but can also be transshipped to other countries through the UAE's free trade zones.
Moreover, the Middle East itself has limited capacity for providing tobacco products, which mostly rely on imports, with the UAE having a high import volume. In 2010, 21 billion cigarettes were imported from South Korea and 8 billion from Turkey. In 2011, approximately 37 billion cigarettes were imported, with most supplies located in Dubai's duty-free zone for transshipment traders and stores. The opening of the e-cigarette market can alleviate some of the import pressure on cigarette products.
However, the lifting of the e-cigarette ban in the UAE does not mean a relaxation of tobacco market management.
A series of standard bills regulating the import, manufacturing, sale, and packaging of e-cigarettes will also be issued in April. E-cigarette manufacturers, retailers, and distributors must strictly adhere to these new standards.
It is reported that the nicotine content in e-cigarettes in the UAE will be strictly controlled, possibly referencing the European Union Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) stipulating that "the nicotine content in e-liquids must not exceed 20 mg/ml."
Similar to traditional tobacco product sales, e-cigarette packaging will also require health and safety graphic warnings, and there will be age restrictions on the consumer population.
