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 The future of the Caribbean banana industry is under threat, due to changes in the EU banana import regime, however the fight for a guaranteed future for small Caribbean farmers continues!!
Leading this fight is WINFA (Windward Islands Farmers’ Association). Launched 30 years ago, WINFA has played a key role in helping small-scale banana producers in the islands of Grenada, Dominica, St. Vincent and St. Lucia convert to Fairtrade production.
Nearly 90% of bananas imported from the islands to the UK now carry the FAIRTRADE Mark which means that more than three thousand farmers and their communtities are directly benefiting from belonging to the Fairtrade system. WINFA and the farmers they represent believe that Fairtrade and the support of British consumers for Caribbean bananas is their only hope for survival.
"Since these now constitute about 88 per cent of all vital transatlantic banana exports, we can well understand why the St. Lucian National Fairtrade Committee chose “FIG FINISAN FAIRTRADE” (the creole way of saying that there would be no banana industry today without Fairtrade) as the theme for its recently held Annual General Assembly." (Renwick Rose, Coordinator of WINFA).
Take Action
Choose Caribbean And Fairtrade Labeled Bananas
1) Ask your local supermarket (either by filling in a customer comment card or by sending an email) to always offer you the choice of Caribbean and Fairtrade bananas.
Further Reading
2) Click here
to read about how the reformed EU banana import regime, and
negotiations to create new Economic Partnership Agreements with the EU
do, and could, affect market access for Caribbean bananas.
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