One of the major benefits that the fair trade movement has given producers is that it has promoted fair trade justice. The large and rapid growth in consumption of fair trade products means that many consumers nowadays are clearly concerned that producers from developing countries get what they deserve. However because international trade rules continue to be in favor of rich countries, majority of people in developing countries continue to live in poverty.
Fair Trade Benefits
It seems that even today, fair trade can only be successful if the conditions are right. Though many farmers, producers and workers around the world are clearly benefiting, there are those that continue to await the justice due to them. In other areas there are still people that continue to be at the mercy of these trade rules.
Fair Trade Coffee and Bananas
The reason for the campaign is that the current situation has glaringly showed that even with Fair Justice Act the system is still not working. Consider coffee, the price of it remains low because of oversupply. This is not just because more farmers are into growing coffee, but because of fair trade there are also other factors involved. One such factor is that some countries were forced to raise cash crops as a condition of obtaining loans from the World Bank. There is also oversupply in sugar which is due to trade rules that allow American sugar producers to receive subsidies. An advantage the sugar producers from developing countries do not have.
One of the most fought over fair trade products is bananas, this is an example of another product where the system has failed. Some Latin American countries continue to practice the use of pesticides and even exploitative labor. Though this means that they are not fair trade certified, their production costs are lower compared to producers and farmers that practice fairtrade. As a result some have opted to grow other products because they can’t compete with the low production costs.
Supporting Fair Trade Suppliers
There is more to the issue than just supporting and buying fair trade products. We, as consumers, must not only ensure that fair trade justice is present, but that our government itself must support trade rules that are fair for everyone. This way we make sure that we not only get the benefits that fair trade has to offer, but we also help the producers and farmers make their lives better.
