Dear Editor,
Much is being said in recent times, particularly in the aftermath of the denial of entry of 13 Jamaicans into Trinidad, about a boycott of Trinidadian products and a buy Jamaican push.
I sympathise with the call, not particularly to boycott Trinidadian products in light of that incident, but more so to support the long-running campaign to 'Buy Jamaican to Build Jamaica'. Thus, I have been making a conscious effort to buy Jamaican-made products to the extent that I can find them.
While we focus on that effort, I wish to bring into focus the practice of our locally based international firms of sourcing from or actually manufacturing certain products abroad and simply labelling them as Jamaican brands.
Why, for instance, must coconut water be made in Thailand when we cultivate coconuts in Jamaica, considering that our locally obtained natural coconut water products taste far superior? Or why should corned beef be made in Brazil when we also raise cattle in Jamaica?
This hurts the Jamaican economy by refusing, for whatever reason, to either directly cultivate coconuts or raise cattle locally.
After all, such "outsourcing" takes away valuable foreign exchange from Jamaica and certainly impacts our gross domestic product.
Is it a natural consequence of globalisation, which also sees Jamaica benefiting from many jobs being imported, particularly in the business process outsourcing sector?
A local company like Tru-Juice is to be commended and should get our support for not only producing fine world-class Jamaican products, but for using as much locally produced inputs as possible.
I am prepared to withhold or restrict my support of companies that do not use Jamaican inputs to make their products where it is possible.
Kevin KO Sangster
sangstek@msn.com
Buy Jamaica more than a label
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Much is being said in recent times, particularly in the aftermath of the denial of entry of 13 Jamaicans into Trinidad, about a boycott of Trinidadian products and a buy Jamaican push.
I sympathise with the call, not particularly to boycott Trinidadian products in light of that incident, but more so to support the long-running campaign to 'Buy Jamaican to Build Jamaica'. Thus, I have been making a conscious effort to buy Jamaican-made products to the extent that I can find them.
While we focus on that effort, I wish to bring into focus the practice of our locally based international firms of sourcing from or actually manufacturing certain products abroad and simply labelling them as Jamaican brands.
Why, for instance, must coconut water be made in Thailand when we cultivate coconuts in Jamaica, considering that our locally obtained natural coconut water products taste far superior? Or why should corned beef be made in Brazil when we also raise cattle in Jamaica?
This hurts the Jamaican economy by refusing, for whatever reason, to either directly cultivate coconuts or raise cattle locally.
After all, such "outsourcing" takes away valuable foreign exchange from Jamaica and certainly impacts our gross domestic product.
Is it a natural consequence of globalisation, which also sees Jamaica benefiting from many jobs being imported, particularly in the business process outsourcing sector?
A local company like Tru-Juice is to be commended and should get our support for not only producing fine world-class Jamaican products, but for using as much locally produced inputs as possible.
I am prepared to withhold or restrict my support of companies that do not use Jamaican inputs to make their products where it is possible.
Kevin KO Sangster
sangstek@msn.com
Buy Jamaica more than a label
-->