‘The increase in the excise duty might lead to the shortage of cheap tobacco produce,’ the Merchandise Expert of Megamart Trade Center Andrei Kholmanskikh said to UrBC representative, commenting on the excise duty stamps becoming more expensive starting January 1, 2007.

‘This may happen due to the fact that some of the producers will fail to switch to the new stamping,’ Mr Kholmanskikh observed.

‘There is little our trade center can do on its own: if the suppliers manage to do everything on time, we’ll have no shortage,’ he noted.