Fairtrade helps trade justice

Packing Fairtrade mangoes in Ecuador [Fairtrade Foundation]

Thousands of farmers benefit from Fairtrade - but many millions more could join them if it wasn’t for unjust trade rules hampering poor countries’ attempts to trade out of poverty

When you buy Fairtrade products, you know that the farmer who grew your coffee or tea got a fair price for the crop, plus a little bit extra to help the community’s development.

But tariffs – a kind of tax on imports – are imposed by many countries, which hampers the ability of the farmers to get the best deals for their produce.

Massive subsidies

For example, a tariff of 500 per cent on rice makes it impossible for rice farmers from poor countries to sell their crop in Japan.

Meanwhile the European Union and the US can afford to give their farmers massive subsidies.

This results in overproduction of food, and the surplus is then "dumped" on poor countries - thereby making it impossible for farmers to even sell in their own countries.

The campaign for trade justice aims to get governments and international bodies to rewrite unjust trade rules like these.

It wants trade rules that are weighted to benefit people in poor countries – rather than harm them.

That’s why it is important to buy fairly traded products, and also to campaign for trade justice.

Millions more people living in poor countries stand to benefit.

Nelson Mandela says: "Trade justice for the developing world and for this generation is a truly significant way for the developed countries to show commitment to bringing about an end to global poverty."

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