Why Fairtrade? The problems experienced by
poor producers and workers in developing countries differ greatly from product to product. For example, the majority of coffee and cocoa is grown by independent small farmers, working their own land
and marketing their produce through a local co-operative.
For these producers, receiving a fair price is more important than any other aspect of a fair trade. Most tea, however, is grown on
estates. The concern for workers employed on tea plantations is fair wages and decent working conditions. There are two sets of generic producer standards; one for small farmers and one for
workers on plantations and in factories. The first set applies to smallholders organised in co-operatives or other organisations with a democratic, participative structure.
The second set
applies to organised workers, whose employers pay decent wages, guarantee the right to join trade unions and provide good housing when relevant. On plantations and in factories, minimum health and
safety as well as environmental standards must be complied with, and no child or forced labour can occur.As Fairtrade is also about development, the standards also encourage producer
organisations to continuously improve working conditions and product quality, to increase the environmental stability of agricultural methods and to invest in the development of their organisations
and welfare of their producers and workers.Trading standards for licensees using the FAIRTRADE Mark on their products stipulate that traders must pay a price to producers that covers the costs
of sustainable production and living, pay a 'premium' that producers can invest in development and sign contracts that allow for long-term planning and sustainable production practices.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
