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| fate =
| fate =
| successor = <!-- or: successors = -->
| successor = <!-- or: successors = -->
| hq_location_city =
| hq_location_city = [[Bujumbura]]
| hq_location_country = [[Dubai]]
| hq_location_country = Burundi
| area_served = <!-- or: areas_served = -->
| area_served = <!-- or: areas_served = -->
| key_people =
| key_people =
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He escaped from prison in 1990 and fled to South Africa.{{sfn|Mfonobong Nsehe|2021}}
He escaped from prison in 1990 and fled to South Africa.{{sfn|Mfonobong Nsehe|2021}}
Later the government of Burundi restored his property, intact.{{sfn|Mfonobong Nsehe|2014}}
Later the government of Burundi restored his property, intact.{{sfn|Mfonobong Nsehe|2014}}

⚫
In 2005 a dispute over the "Supermatch" trademark was resolved against BTC by the High Court of Tanzania.
⚫
BTC had resistered the trademark in 1990, but did not renew it when it expired in 1997.
⚫
[[Tanzania Cigarette Company]] applied to register "Supermatch" as its trademerk, but was refused by the Registrar.
⚫
In 2002 BTC said it assign the trademark to Mastermin Tobacco (Tanzania).
⚫
The court ruled to BTC had abandoned the trademark, which should be granted to Tanzania Cigarette Company.{{sfn|Tanzania Cigarette Company 2005}}


A 2013 [[World Health Organization]] report noted the the company had in the past given subsidies to tobacco farmers in Burundi for production and selling, but it was no longer doing so.
A 2013 [[World Health Organization]] report noted the the company had in the past given subsidies to tobacco farmers in Burundi for production and selling, but it was no longer doing so.
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BTC exported most of its cigarettes to Uganda, with Rwanda the next largest market.
BTC exported most of its cigarettes to Uganda, with Rwanda the next largest market.
In 2009 it exported about 10 million packs, and in 2012 about 9 million packs.{{sfn|Needs assessment for WHO Framework|p=22}}
In 2009 it exported about 10 million packs, and in 2012 about 9 million packs.{{sfn|Needs assessment for WHO Framework|p=22}}

==Trademark disputes==

⚫
In 2005 a dispute over the "Supermatch" trademark was resolved against BTC by the High Court of Tanzania.
⚫
BTC had resistered the trademark in 1990, but did not renew it when it expired in 1997.
⚫
[[Tanzania Cigarette Company]] applied to register "Supermatch" as its trademark, but was refused by the Registrar.
⚫
In 2002 BTC said it had assigned the trademark to Mastermind Tobacco (Tanzania).
⚫
The court ruled to BTC had abandoned the trademark, which should be granted to Tanzania Cigarette Company.{{sfn|Tanzania Cigarette Company 2005}}

In 2019 BTC was involved in another trademark dispute.
Mastermind Tobacco, a company based in Kenya with a subsidiary in Uganda, had previously been using the "Supermatch" trademark, but BTC withdrew it from Mastermind and awarded it to Leaf Tobacco, on the grounds that the Mastermind cigarettes were poor quality.
A South Sudan court had ruled that Mastermind could not export its Supermatch cigarettes to South Sudan in competition with Leaf.
The Ugandan position was that they could "escort' Mastermind's cigarettes across Uganda to South Sudan, but it was up to the South Sudan customs to decide whether to admit them.{{sfn|Carmel Rickard|2019}}


==References==
==References==
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==Sources==
==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
{{refbegin}}
*{{citation |url=https://africanlii.org/articles/2019-04-03/carmel-rickard/article-2845 |accessdate=2024-06-29
|author=Carmel Rickard |title=Article 2845 |date= 3 April 2019 |work=AfricanLII}}
*{{citation |url=https://www.newvision.co.ug/news/1496413/fight-kagame-rujugiro#google_vignette |accessdate=2024-06-28
*{{citation |url=https://www.newvision.co.ug/news/1496413/fight-kagame-rujugiro#google_vignette |accessdate=2024-06-28
|title=I cannot fight Kagama, says Rujugiro |ref={{harvid|I cannot fight Kagama, says Rujugiro}} |work=New Vision (Uganda) |date=18 March 2019}}
|title=I cannot fight Kagama, says Rujugiro |ref={{harvid|I cannot fight Kagama, says Rujugiro}} |work=New Vision (Uganda) |date=18 March 2019}}

Revision as of 16:30, 29 June 2024

Burundi Tobacco Company
Company typeTobacco products production and distribution
Founded1978
FounderTribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa
Headquarters
Bujumbura
,
Burundi
ProductsSupermatch cigarettes
OwnerPan African Tobacco Group

The Burundi Tobacco Company (BTC) manufactures cigarettes under the Supermatch brand in Burundi. It is a subsidiary of the Pan African Tobacco Group (PTG).

History

Around 1970 the company's Rwandan founder, Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa (c. 1941 – 2024), started to import wheat, flour, salt and cigarettes into Burundi from Tanzania.[1] By 1974 cigarettes were becoming his main import.[2] In 1978 he decided to use his profits to manufacture cigarettes in Burundi rather than importing them.[1]

In the 1980s the Burundi Tobacco Company (BTC) started to clear large areas of forest in Kirundo Province to supply wood to the ovens used to dry tobacco, but did not undertake reforestation.[3] In 1987 Ayabatwa was imprisoned in Bujumbura.[4] He was charged with aiding the previous government, and his businesses were nationalized. He escaped from prison in 1990 and fled to South Africa.[1] Later the government of Burundi restored his property, intact.[2]

A 2013 World Health Organization report noted the the company had in the past given subsidies to tobacco farmers in Burundi for production and selling, but it was no longer doing so. Only 1,500–1,700 hectares (3,700–4,200 acres) of land was being used for cultivation of tobacco, and this was being used by formers to make hand-rolled cigarettes for personal use.[5]

BTC was the only company making tobacco products in Burundi in 2013, but imported all its tobacco. Before 2006 it was importing less than 100 tons per year, but in 2009 and 2010 imported over 500 tons per year. BTC exported most of its cigarettes to Uganda, with Rwanda the next largest market. In 2009 it exported about 10 million packs, and in 2012 about 9 million packs.[6]

Trademark disputes

In 2005 a dispute over the "Supermatch" trademark was resolved against BTC by the High Court of Tanzania. BTC had resistered the trademark in 1990, but did not renew it when it expired in 1997. Tanzania Cigarette Company applied to register "Supermatch" as its trademark, but was refused by the Registrar. In 2002 BTC said it had assigned the trademark to Mastermind Tobacco (Tanzania). The court ruled to BTC had abandoned the trademark, which should be granted to Tanzania Cigarette Company.[7]

In 2019 BTC was involved in another trademark dispute. Mastermind Tobacco, a company based in Kenya with a subsidiary in Uganda, had previously been using the "Supermatch" trademark, but BTC withdrew it from Mastermind and awarded it to Leaf Tobacco, on the grounds that the Mastermind cigarettes were poor quality. A South Sudan court had ruled that Mastermind could not export its Supermatch cigarettes to South Sudan in competition with Leaf. The Ugandan position was that they could "escort' Mastermind's cigarettes across Uganda to South Sudan, but it was up to the South Sudan customs to decide whether to admit them.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c Mfonobong Nsehe 2021.
  2. ^ a b Mfonobong Nsehe 2014.
  3. ^ Récoltes : Kirundo aux anges.
  4. ^ I cannot fight Kagama, says Rujugiro.
  5. ^ Needs assessment for WHO Framework, p. 21.
  6. ^ Needs assessment for WHO Framework, p. 22.
  7. ^ Tanzania Cigarette Company 2005.
  8. ^ Carmel Rickard 2019.

Sources

  • Carmel Rickard (3 April 2019), "Article 2845", AfricanLII, retrieved 2024-06-29
  • "I cannot fight Kagama, says Rujugiro", New Vision (Uganda), 18 March 2019, retrieved 2024-06-28
  • Mfonobong Nsehe (1 January 2014), "Meet The Richest Tobacco Man In Africa, Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa", Forbes Magazine, retrieved 2024-06-29
  • Mfonobong Nsehe (4 August 2021), Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa’s Business and Philanthropic Legacy Will Outlive His Detractors, retrieved 2024-06-28
  • Needs assessment for implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Burundi (PDF), WHO Framework Convention Secretariat, September 2013, retrieved 2024-06-29
  • "Récoltes : Kirundo aux anges, mais …", IWACU (in French), 5 May 2013, retrieved 2024-06-08
  • Tanzania Cigarette Company Limited vs Burundi Tobacco Company Limited (PDF), High Court of Tanzania, 22 July 2005, retrieved 2024-06-29
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