Capt. John comments
I am NOT only commenting on the Cigarette manufacturing part of the article, but also can any reader explain, why are two established Montserratian companies and their employees, being kicked out of the factory shell, to make room for this tobacco company?
Usually, a new company will build their OWN purpose built plant, showing some INVESTMENT in the island. Contractors will get jobs and their men more employment.
The company cannot take the building with them, when they pack up and leave our shores!
In the early 60’s “PAPA BIRD” was asked, why give land to hotel developers, and he said, “if them get broke, they have to leave the hotel dem there! dey carn tek um when dem a go!”
Now two established Montserratian Companies have to find land and build their own structures’, also, if this cigarette company has good intentions, and NOT capitalizing on TAX INCENTIVES, they would actually invest in a factory, which will have ALL the environmental controls installed.
Tobacco manufacturers, like other manufacturers in the United States and in other developed countries, generate several toxic chemicals as production waste. The EPA and other similar organisations in developed countries help assure that industry reports and manages such waste.
However, it is not known what abatement procedures are being used in developing countries, where cigarette production capacity has rapidly increased in recent years. To meet the demands of emerging markets, it is likely that cigarette manufacturers will gravitate towards manufacturing venues where regulation is less stringent. In the absence of public awareness and governmental regulations, tobacco manufacturers may not address the problem of significant solid, liquid, airborne, and chemically toxic waste produced in cigarette manufacturing. Thus, it may be prudent for multinational health, trade, and economic agencies to raise environmental considerations related to tobacco production as a global health issue.
