Bulgartabac was thinking of starting sales of hookah, or narghile, tobacco, chairperson of the holding's board of directors Kornelia Ninova announced as reported by Dnevnik daily.

Deputy managing director of the company Ivan Bilarev said that sample quantities had been exported to Egypt and reactions had been very positive. There was interest in this kind of tobacco from Jordan as well.

Representatives of the holding said that for the time being they did not have enough raw material for this kind of tobacco. The hookah tobacco had to be grown in a special way. It would have to be more neutral in taste, contain smaller quantities of nicotine and be capable of absorbing scents. Only big-leaf tobacco was suitable for its production.

Over 2007, the holding's tobacco export would exceed 14 to 15 000 tons, part of which were for the production of multinational companies in the EU, Dnevnik daily said. Up to now 500 tons have been exported for the USA, excluding a new contract for the USA for about 200 tons additionally. Because of the low prices and the good quality of Bulgarian oriental tobaccos, the raw material was sought after for manual rolling as well, Bilarev explained.

Bulgartabac participated again in the TABEXPO, held in Paris from 26 to 29 November 2007. At the forum interest in the holding's products has been has by Spain and Israel.

The TABEXPO is organised every 4 years and the last time was in Barcelona in 2003. Unlike other years, this time the holding was participating with a big stand of 106 square meters. This years' there were over 450 participants from 60 countries in the TABEXPO, Dnevnik daily said.