A grocer sells fruits and vegetables. The scheme hopes to draw more East African produce into UK supermarkets. Picture: File
Britain has started a new scheme aimed at drawing more East African produce into UK supermarkets, hoping to cut out middlemen accused of eating into farmers’ earnings.
The scheme is being supported by grants from the Food Retail Industry Challenge Fund (FRICH) in the UK and will help both African farmers and British businesses like Sainsbury’s and Taylors of Harrogate.
Already the scheme has had some success working with African suppliers trading in goods such as tea, coffee and flowers, under the Fairtrade arrangement meant to give better access to farmers in key markets.
UK supermarkets are full of fairly traded horticultural products from across East and Southern Africa, particularly coffee from Zambia, Uganda, and Tanzania, but it is the range of fruit and vegetables from Kenya that is most notable.
In the city of Brighton on the south coast of England, Kenyan sugar snap peas, beans and fruit such as strawberries are making inroads in most retail shops.
UK Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening said the scheme means more African farmers will reap the financial rewards of global trade. A report from the London-based World Development Movement said that its latest research showed that Fairtrade sales broke the £1 billion ($1.6 billion) mark in 2010, showing that even during a recession, many consumers still consider the impact of their buying decisions.
However, it notes that “there’s a very long way to go before all trade is fair, and it’s unlikely that schemes like Fairtrade can bring this about by themselves. Part of their strength is that by using market solutions and focusing on changing public attitudes, they do not alienate anyone. But this approach is also a weakness. The need for Fairtrade schemes is a clear sign that the current global economic system only makes the rich richer.”
In another project, Taylors of Harrogate — producers of the Yorkshire Tea brand — have recently completed a project in Rwanda, supported by FRICH, with the aim of improving the quality of both the tea being produced and the lives of those producing it. Sustainability manager at Taylors of Harrogate Simon Hotchkin said: “We have been buying Rwandan tea for over 30 years now, as at its best it has a unique liveliness and refreshing character that you just can’t find anywhere else in the world.”
