The Tobacco Authority of Thailand plans to introduce its Chinese cigarettes to the market in October, targeting the increasing number of Chinese visitors.
Daonoi Sutthinipapan, governor of the Tobacco Authority of Thailand, said on Wednesday that the state monopoly signed a memorandum of understanding with Shaanxi Jinye Science Education Group and Yunnan Reascend Tobacco Technology Co to produce cigarettes for the two Chinese companies.
The Chinese companies had researched the raw materials, flavours and packages preferred by Chinese consumers. Their knowledge would be used by the tobacco authority to develop a new product. It would be launched on the local market on Oct 1, the National Day of China, Ms Daonoi said.
She said the project would benefit both local tobacco growers and the tobacco authority.
The new brand of cigarettes would be available at duty-free outlets around Thailand and later in other Southeast Asian nations, Ms Daonoi said.