The 2000 Legislature allocated funds to help tobacco farmers. The farmers pointed out that such assistance will not result in money being paid directly to individual growers, and that potential benefits from that funding may not be evenly distributed within the industry. The farmers are also concerned about Phase II of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, to which Florida is a signatory. That part of the national settlement provides direct payment to help growers recover revenue lost as a result of legal action against the tobacco industry. The farmers want Florida to guarantee the continued allocation of Phase II settlement funds as they are currently scheduled.
Farmers deserve their fair share of the settlement.
At one point in the discussion, Gov. Bush asked why tobacco farmers could not simply transition into other crops, such as vegetable crops. The group explained that most markets, especially the vegetable market, have narrow market windowd and the market is already being adequately supplied. An infusion of new growers could have the effect of destroying the market by sharply increasing supply. Tobacco has traditionally been North Florida's most reliable cash crop. It will be difficult to find an equally reliable replacement, the farmers said.