A public private collaboration has been formed between Fairtrade International member the Max Havelaar Foundation, Irish fresh produce firm Fyffes, Colombian banana companies Uniban and Augura and the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs to boost the supply of Fairtrade bananas in the Netherlands.
The plan comes on the back of the decision by Dutch supermarket chains Plus, Spar and Attent to sell exclusively Fairtrade bananas, Fresh Plaza reported.
The aim, according to Peter d'Angremond, director of the Max Havelaar Foundation, is to improve the living standards of small Colombian producers.
'Investing in the banana sector, for instance in the area of sustainable water usage, raises Colombian farmers' production, and with it their income,' he said.
Due to the collaboration between Colombian and Dutch representatives, more farmers are expected to be reached, enabling more farmers to invest in the future using the Fairtrade premium and encouraging them to follow environmentally friendly practices.
