So far, 60 million dollars have been invested in the construction of the plant and the plantation. To build and equip the plant 40 million dollars have been invested, while the plantation, which was cultivated in 2016 in Matala, cost 20 million dollars. However, although the doors have been open since 2002, those responsible want to go further and, in order to make the factory a world reference, will invest another 10 million dollars.
The company currently has 4000 hectares planted with tobacco leaf, but the goal, according to the director of the factory, António Leão, is to expand the plantation to 8000 hectares, thus allowing doors to be opened to exports.
The company has been boosting the national tobacco sector. Besides counting on the collaboration of more than 400 direct workers, the turnover has been growing: in 2018, the company had a turnover of 3.3 billion kwanzas. In the following year, the company recorded an increase, with the turnover set at 5.7 billion kwanzas, says the Expansion.
These figures earned the State a total of 246.7 million kwanzas in taxes in 2018 and 147.2 million kwanzas in 2019. Until July of this year, 1.4 billion kwanzas were paid in taxes.
The Angolan company belongs to the Pan African Tobacco Group and produces the brands Yes, SPM Classic, SPM Player, Forum (Mentolado) and Forum (Sky Blue).
The headquarter is located in Dubai and the group has six other factories on the African continent: Burundi, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.