Help small producers, patronize Fair Trade products

There is a quaint shop that stands along Osmeña Boulevard in the bustling commercial city of Cebu that sells uniquely Filipino products that have earned their niche in the international market.

From multi-hued woven mats to native accessories to fruity delicacies, the People’s Fair Trade Shop doesn’t just showcase the Filipino producers’ and craftsmen’s ingenuity, but it also tells us that, despite obstacles, it is possible for small producers to be economically self-sufficient. Through membership in a fair trade organization, they can get into the entire process of production and marketing of their goods as a way to empower themselves.

The Cebu experience with the fair trade global movement, as well several others in the seemingly sleepy towns all over the country, is a story to reckon with. It began in 1996, when the Southern Partners Fair Trade Corporation (SPFTC), was set up by fair trade minded businessmen in Cebu.

The SPFTC star product, Tru Food Mango Preserve and Jam, is a testimony that actual producers of the world-acclaimed Cebu mango can be fully produced, packaged, and marketed by small producers themselves.This is also true with the Pure Tableya of Cotabato’s Kablon Farms, the 18 Days Mountain Coffee from the Cordilleras, Panay’s Muscovado sugar, organic rice of Bukidnon, cashew nuts from Palawan’s indigenous groups who are struggling for their rights to ancestral lands, among other items which literally came from the small combined efforts of farm producers and micro-entrepreneurs.

For Ike Bacaocos, a small producer from Carcar who’s into food processing, one of the benefits of being a member of a fair trade organization is that it strengthens producer organizations. He told The Freeman, "Sa pag-market sa imong presyo, makahibalo ug makahatag kami ug presyo na acceptable ug fair. Ni-join sad kami para daghan mi matudloan ug sistema para ma-improve ang quality sa among production."

Truly so, every business undertaking of members is enshrined in FAIR TRADE principles, which are creating opportunities for small producers; transparency and accountability; building on the capability of producers and crafters; and promoting fair trade practices and fair price.

International Fair Trade president Rudi Dalvai told local media that ever since the fair trade movement took form 40 years ago, its strategic intent has always been to work with marginalized producers and workers. According to Dalvai, an Italian national, the fair trade movement has become a mainstream economic force today, particularly in Europe. "It has become popular because more and more consumers would like to be sure that there is no exploitation behind [the making of the product," said Dalvai.

This is because in the fair trade scheme, producers pledge to produce quality products, pay fair wages, provide safe workplaces, avoid child labor, give equal employment benefits to women and men, and use environment-friendly technologies.Buyers meanwhile, commit themselves to pay a fair price, give advance payment to finance raw materials procurement, and establish long-term relationships with producers.Dalvai stressed that in fair trade, producers, buyers, and consumers are assured that their interests and welfare are all taken into consideration in a long-term, sustainable business partnership.SPFTC managing director Geraldine Labradores, on the other hand, said that while business opportunities abound in Cebu because of its central location, SPFTC also has many challenges to deal with, like the existence of many competitors, which produce slightly lower products.

She notes, however, that Cebu products have gained markets abroad and there is every reason for small producers to develop their fair trade business.

AltroMercato food director Dr. Biagio Calcavecchia, for his part, said all the producers must put in mind is to produce quality products to be able to get the broadest markets as possible. The representative of the Italian non-profit organization, which has been operating for 20 years and dealing with 100 different products worldwide, cited Panay’s Mascobado as an example, saying that they import about 300 tons of the Philippine product made from organically grown sugarcanes.

So, check out the People’s Fair Trade Shop at the YMCA Building along Osmeña Boulevard. The products are just good for the health, but are likewise responsive to the cause of social welfare and justice for those who produce them.