Visakhapatnam: Even as the price of cigarettes increased sharply post implementation of GST, the business of the betel shops in the city has not been impacted much. Among various reasons, the shop owners attribute it to also growing women smokers in the city.
Betel shops operating at some favourite smoking zone of the youngsters in the city have not felt any pinch of the price hike.
When the shop owners were asked about the trend in adult smokers, most of them pointed about the smoking habits among young females.
“The high cess imposed on cigarette has made it costlier. But, surprisingly, we did not face any slump in business or sales volume in the last two months. It is all because of a good number of teenagers picking smoking habits and moreover, I observe a sudden increase in women smokers in
the city. The new smoker joining the pack is helping the business to thrive,” a betel shopkeeper at YMCA said.
Owner of another shop in Chinna Waltair, where youngsters mostly buy cigarettes, said, “Earlier, working women or students from corporate colleges used to buy the cigarette from my shop. But now, I see girl students from almost all colleges are smoking.”
He also revealed about how youngsters are stuffing ganja in cigarettes.
Vizag-based salespersons from ITC, which accounts for three out of four cigarettes sold in the country, however, refused to comment on the sales and change in the trend of smoking.
