JTI eyes Batangas plant for RRP export expansion

The Philippine unit of global tobacco giant JT International (JTI) wants to produce reduced-risk products (RRPs) at its Batangas factory for export to more markets in the region and beyond.

- By BEN ARNOLD DE VERA

At present, the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Malvar, Batangas—which churns out traditional cigarettes—exports to at least 17 countries, mostly in Asia-Pacific, said JTI Philippines general manager Guilherme Silva in a television interview last Friday, June 20.

Since the factory was established in 2016, it already undertook several rounds of production capacity upgrades and improvements to better serve both the domestic and export markets, Silva said.

“We continue to invest in skilled production,” he said.