Northern Coop farmers group gets Fair Trade Certification
View(s):After five years of operations, the Vavuniya North Fruit Growers Cooperative Union continues to grow and increase profit.
Over 10,000 metric tons of Red Lady papaya have already been exported and over US$2 million (Rs. 300 million) earned by farmers in export earnings, according to a media statement by ILO Colombo, the foster-father of projects to help northern farmers.
In recent weeks, the cooperative achieved a major milestone by becoming the first cooperative in Sri Lanka and probably the first organisation in South Asia to be Fair Trade Certified for Red Lady papaya. The certification process was carried out by the Global Certifying Body for Fair Trade- FLOCERT.
Fair Trade certification is the first social, economic and environmental standard that directly benefits growers and workers. As the name implies, it is about building market systems that provide improved and more equitable returns to producers and workers. The certification opens up new and expanding markets for growers and provides a competitive advantage for small rural framers.
The advantage of certification is that the farmers obtain a guaranteed price for their produce which is generally much higher than the non-certified open market price. However, as according to a spokesperson for the LEED project, “It takes time and a lot of effort on all sides. The time factor is critical, real development cannot be achieved in a two or three year project. It is a process that evolves, adapts to changing demands and really never ends”.