Posted on September, 28, 2018 at 11:27 am
George Kebaso @Morarak
More than 400,000 small-scale farmers are set to access global markets on softer terms following the launch of the International Fair Trade Charter.
But for the producers to enjoy this benefit they must promote safe and fair working conditions.
“Central to the International Fair Trade Charter is a common understanding that the benefits of global trade must be shared more equally across farmers, workers, companies and consumers by supporting artisans, farmers and workers to build democratic organisations,” said Fairtrade Africa executive director Nyagoy Nyong’o.
The contribution of Fairtrade in terms of economic, social and ecological impact remains significant across the world, but not when this group of producers is working in hostile conditions. According to Nyong’o even as global trade has grown tremendously in the last few decades, there still remains uneven distribution of its gains.
According to Fairtrade, most farmers are grappling with limited access to markets, unfair prices, unsafe working conditions, fragile economies and climate change.
Due to these challenges, Nyong’o said, a few firms dominate markets. According to the Oxfam 2017 Inequality Report to Davos World Economic Forum, Small-scale producers and workers face many barriers to securing their fair share of the gains of trade.
The new charter sets down the fundamental values of Fairtrade and emphasises the importance of addressing inequality, gender rights, climate change, child and forced labour and unfair trading conditions. In 2016, Kenya raked in about Sh6.7 billion from sale of coffee, flowers and tea under Fairtrade.
Source: MediaMax Network