Clearing The Air On Tobacco Control

Issues relating to the supply of tobacco and the demand for tobacco products are increasingly being made the subject of controversy in sections of the print media. It is against this background, and in direct response to an open letter from the Jamaican Coalition on Tobacco Control, published in The Gleaner, dated March 2, that Carreras seeks to clarify some of the issues raised and to inform the debate.

Carreras would like to refute any argument which questions the long-standing commitment of the company to nation building.

As a legal commercial enterprise and as a company deeply committed to national development, Carreras continues to fulfil its obligations in contributing to both the social and economic development of Jamaica. In fact, our contributions extend beyond our payment of taxes, which for the 2010-2011 fiscal year amounts to more than $10 billion, to our almost 50-year involvement and support to empowering through education, upliftment of civic and community life, Jamaican arts and culture and environmental preservation. It is also reflected in the company's continued willingness to sit down with the Government to discuss how the company can continue aligning its corporate social investments to areas of national priority.

Demand and supply

It is public knowledge that as a company we no longer cultivate tobacco locally or source locally grown tobacco for our production purposes in Jamaica since 2000. The present expansion of tobacco growing in Jamaica is a response to a demand that Jamaicans are acting entirely on their own initiative to supply. It is the market which regulates both demand and supply.

Recently, the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) conducted a study on the level of tobacco cultivation in Jamaica. The results showed the prevalence of tobacco cultivation nationally, where currently there are more than 500 tobacco farmers with approximately 300 acres under tobacco cultivation.

Consequently, our move to partner with the Government, specifically the Ministry of Agriculture, and RADA, reflects our support for the formalisation of the currently unregulated tobacco farming sector. We, therefore, urge all participants in the debate on the expansion of local tobacco farming to make a clear distinction between the responsibilities and functions of the Government of Jamaica and those of Carreras. The Government regulates and controls the use of tobacco products. Carreras is compliant and supports the Government in these efforts.

Treaty not breached

We wish to highlight that the support being placed behind tobacco farming is not a contravention of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). In fact, many countries which are signatories of the FCTC are leading tobacco-growing and leaf-production countries globally. Some of these countries include: Brazil, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Argentina.

Carreras would like to unequivocally state that we support the need for tobacco control legislation in Jamaica, and we support balanced and sensible legislation as one part of the policy mix to reduce the health impact of tobacco use and to address our stakeholders' concerns about tobacco products. In fact, the company has for several years been voluntarily observing codes of conduct related to many of the areas that are to be formally addressed by the enactment of the proposed tobacco-control regulations.

We would also like to highlight that our implementation of a Youth Smoking Prevention Campaign is another reflection of our deep-seated and core belief that underage persons should not consume tobacco products. Carreras makes explicit its policy and principle of no sales to minors and our business partners are aware of the penalties thereof, which include our discontinuing the business relationship.

Christopher Brown is corporate and regulatory affairs manager of Carreras Limited.