Coffee from Congo and raisins from Afghanistan

23 February 2010

Douglas Alexander has called on British shoppers to support farmers working in some of the world’s most volatile countries.

The International Development Secretary announced that coffee from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and raisins from Afghanistan can for the first time be traded under Fairtrade terms – meaning that the farmers who produce them get a fair price for their product.

Mr Alexander marked the start of Fairtrade Fortnight by saying over 2,000 farmers in the DRC, members of the Sopacdi co-operative based in South Kivu, will now have the chance to export their own fairly-traded coffee, which will be sold at Sainsbury’s.

In October, the Government announced £12m funding to help more countries become involved in the Fairtrade model. This funding will help to almost double the amount of the world’s poorest countries that produce Fairtrade goods by 2013 and do more to help farmers in fragile or conflict-affected states.

Producers in the DRC face huge challenges accessing markets and in recent decades coffee farmers have been forced to sell their crop to local traders at low prices. As a result many farmers resort to smuggling their coffee over Lake Kivu to neighbouring Rwanda and an estimated 20 farmers die every week attempting to make the crossing.

Meanwhile, a farmer association from the Shomali Plains, just north of Kabul in Afghanistan will have their raisins on shelves in the UK carrying the Fairtrade Mark, under the Tropical Wholefoods label. The deal will give producers in the conflict-torn country the chance to make a decent living and opportunities away from violence and the Taliban.

Douglas Alexander said:

“Trade can play a central role in helping to rebuild economies, as people look for ways to make a secure and stable living.

“For too long, the role of Fairtrade in fragile states has been overlooked. I hope that products like the Congolese coffee and Afghan raisins will help to open doors for new producers and farmers to trade their goods overseas.

“Fairtrade co-operatives help people to come together with the aim of improving the lives of their family and community. We have seen Hutu and Tutsi coffee makers working together on Fairtrade schemes in Rwanda, and I hope that getting more products involved will help this inspiring model to be repeated in other countries."

Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation said:

“Farmers in conflict-affected countries like Palestine, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Afghanistan face tremendous difficulties in first growing and then finding a market for their goods, let alone at a fair price.

“That is why we are so keen to ensure these farmers are able to sell their goods with the Fairtrade Mark, opening more doors for them to earn more sustainable incomes and improve future prospects for their communities, hopefully providing the economic underpinnings to peace. The DFID grant will provide vital funds to enable us to roll this work out further over the coming four years.”

Both products will help to establish vital supply lines and trading routes which will allow other producers in both regions to follow suit. Fairtrade labelling guarantees farmers a fair price for their produce which is usually spent on day-to-day essential such as clothing, food and keeping their children in education.

New figures released by the Fairtrade Foundation yesterday show that the UK public has remained staunchly loyal to Fairtrade, and sales are up on 2008 by 12% to an estimated retail value of almost £800 million. 71% of people say they are willing to swap one or more products to Fairtrade in the next two weeks, according to a new YouGov poll commissioned by the Foundation.

The coffee is the result of the DFID-funded Food Retail Industry Challenge Fund (FRICH) and coordinated work involving Twin Trading, Sainsbury’s, Comic Relief, Finlays and Matthew Algies and should be available in Sainsbury’s next year.