According to the industry, due to a new regulation for shisha tobacco, there will soon be such a scarce supply that many consumers will no longer be able to get supplies.
"In autumn, the sales shelves are likely to be partly empty because the manufacturers cannot keep up with the production," says the managing director of the Federal Association of Water Pipe Tobacco, Folke Rega, of the dpa in Berlin.
From July 1st, only small packs with a maximum of 25 grams of shisha tobacco may be sold, the usual 200-gram packs and larger containers will then be prohibited.
Old stocks can still be sold, but they will probably be largely used up by autumn.
Black market feared
According to the association, the approximately 100 German manufacturers of hookah tobacco did not have enough time to convert their machines or to buy new systems.
Global supply chain issues made sourcing difficult.
Only six to seven of the German manufacturers are currently able to produce the small packaging, and only with very low production capacities.
The association fears that consumers will drift into the black market to obtain supplies.
Not only the scarce supply on the market could soon become a nasty surprise for shisha users.
Because it will be significantly more expensive.
According to estimates by the industry association, one gram of water pipe tobacco will cost about twice as much in the future as it did at the end of 2021.
On the one hand, this is due to an additional tax that has been in force since this year and, on the other hand, to higher production costs.