Fair trade:

a coffee farmer's opinion

CECOVASA, the coffee farmers' co-operative in Peru, has started doing business with some fair trade organizations: Max Havelaar (the Netherlands), Transfair (Germany) and Cafedirect (Britain).

Gregorio Gomez, coffee farmer and vice president of CECOVASA, talks about his experience with the fair trade organizations so far.

Fair Trade Organizations

Well, it's only in the last couple of years we have begun to explore the possibilities of fair trade. So it's still a bit early to tell how it might work out...

But it's already clear to us that, in principle, fair trade is very much in our best interests. There is a much more direct relationship with them than with most of our buyers.

Fair trade offers us a 10% premium over the market price, which is necessary because we have to work harder to produce better coffee.

I suppose the obvious advantage to us occurs when the world coffee price falls below the minimum $210 or so per sack that the fair trade organizations guarantee us. This hasn't happened in the short time we've been working with them, thank goodness. But it provides us with an important assurance.

IN PRINCIPLE: as an idea (usually used as the opposite of "in practice")

PREMIUM: an extra amount

ASSURANCE: a promise of security

The real issue is their long-term commitment to improving the quality of our coffee and the conditions of the coffee producers here. We in the co-operatives need help.

The Government of Peru has pulled out of even the small amount of assistance it used to give us. We are now entirely on our own. The principles of free trade and co-operation do not, of course, rest easily together.

We need help with education and health care for our members, with business knowledge and marketing, and with improved administration.

LONG-TERM: (adj) to continue for a long time

COMMTMENT: a promise to do something

PULL OUT OF SOMETHING: to stop doing it