INDONESIA
Juul Labs is exploring selling its devices in Asia. Officials at Indonesia’s finance ministry said Juul representatives held discussions with the Indonesian government last month about introducing its vaping devices.
An insider familiar with Juul’s plans said executives for the company are concerned the Indonesian authorities may be reluctant to grant approval due to likely opposition from the traditional tobacco industry, which provides much of the country’s tax revenue.
The company is also reportedly worried its argument that vaping is healthier than smoking will not hold much sway in Indonesia, which is not as concerned as other countries about health issues, said the person, who declined to be identified as the discussions were not public.
The finance ministry officials also said that Juul representatives reached out to the ministry to discuss how it would be taxed on any sales of devices in Indonesia.
Sunaryo, a senior official at the directorate general of customs and Excise, said that the government needs to examine the domestic e-cigarette market to determine how a foreign player such as Juul could hurt local small and labor-intensive e-cigarette firms.
“We will need it to study it,” he said, also adding that he was not sure Juul would comply with a regulation that requires e-cigarette devices and liquids to be sold separately.
Officials at the food and drug monitoring agency (BPOM) said Juul had yet to be in touch, even though Juul also would need approval from the agency. Juul is reportedly also actively considering expansion into India, South Korea, and the Philippines.
In addition to Indonesia, Juul filed trademark applications for those countries between April and October this year, as well as in Malaysia and Singapore. The company opened its first Asia office in July in Singapore.