Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon has said the first meeting of the Anti-Illicit Trade Task Force’s working group on tobacco will take place on Monday.
Speaking at the ribbon-cutting and recommissioning of the secondary manufacturing plant at the West Indian Tobacco Company (Witco), Champs Fleurs, on Friday, Gopee-Scoon said the working group would estimate the current level of illicit trade in tobacco in TT, identify enablers of illicit trade locally, review the current level of taxation and its potential to incentivise illicit trade nationally, and develop recommendations for execution to combat illicit trade in tobacco in TT.
[caption id="attachment_944415" align="alignnone" width="846"] Minister of Trade and Industry Paula Gopee-Scoon speaks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to recommission the upgraded factory infrastructure at the West Indian Tobacco Co Ltd (Witco). - ROGER JACOB[/caption]
“TT has seen a rise in the presence of illegally traded consumer goods such as tobacco, alcohol, and cleaning agents on the local market. In addition to implementing the recommendations of the working group, the ministry will also launch a nation-wide awareness campaign at the end of the month, aimed at improving consumer identification of illegal goods and building awareness of the impact of illicit trade on our local businesses and potential health risks to consumers.”
Witco managing director Laurent Meffre said the company was reassured by the measures taken by the ministry and the government to abate the escalation of illicit trade in all forms through the formation of the task force.
He said the recommissioning of Witco’s secondary manufacturing facility cost $85 million and was accompanied by upskilling of its labour force. He also announced the company's new corporate tagline, A Better Tomorrow.
“Witco has been in operation in TT for 116 years and directly employs 201 people. Regionally British American Tobacco Group directly employs an additional 150 staff across Caricom, and thousands more in our distribution network across the region. Our manufacturing operations continue to use integrated work systems tool as a major enable of improvements and capabilities. The systems promote employee ownership and a zero-loss mentality, and our operations and factory staff have certainly met the challenge head-on. As a revenue generator, a net earner of forex, and responsible employer and corporate citizen with a focus on sustainability and national development, we do care about the future of this country and its revival.”
[caption id="attachment_944416" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Some of the brands of cigarettes produced by Witco, past and present. At either end is the new packaging and cigarette sizes being produced by the recommissioned factory. - ROGER JACOB[/caption]
Meffre said 54 per cent of Witco’s manufactured volume is exported regionally and generates US$20 million annually.
Gopee-Scoon said Witco currently services 17 Caricom markets and associate countries, including Antigua and Ba
