ALG Farms and its empowerment partnership, Cedar Citrus, in the Citrusdal Valley in South Africa’s Western Cape region, have packed their first Fairtrade branded fruit for the UK market.
ALG’s farms, as well as the Cedar Citrus farm where ALG has a 50-50 partnership with the group’s workers, were certified by the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation towards the end of last season. Only those officially certified by the FLO and approved by the UK’s Fairtrade Foundation are allowed to market their fruit under the Fairtrade Brand and 2005 is the first season when ALG and Cedar Citrus can do so.
The partnership also received Tesco Nature’s Choice certification and some 15 000 cartons of Fairtrade citrus will also be packed for Asda.
“Recognition from the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation for our efforts to enhance the working and home lives of our workers, as well as to make them co-owners in citrus growing, is well appreciated,” said Gerrit van der Merwe, chairman of the ALG Farming Group and a director of Cedar Citrus.
He said Nature’s Choice certification will unlock new potential for ALG and Cedar Citrus. “Tesco has over the past few years grown from the third biggest retailer in the UK to third in the world. Their network of stores now also extends across Europe and the Far East. Certification by such an important retailer is an honour and will open up many more opportunities for us.
“We now hold certifications for EurepGAP, which is increasingly becoming the international norm for certification of Good Agricultural Practices, Food Safety and Environmental Friendly Practices, as well as Field to Fork (the Marks & Spencer system), Nature’s Choice (Tesco) and Fairtrade. Our packing operations meet HACCP standards.”
He added the international certification enhances ALG’s position amongst retailers in South Africa. “We pride ourselves on being leading edge suppliers to South African retailers who share our philosophy of constant innovation. There is now no doubt that we meet the most demanding international Fairtrade, food safety and environmental standards and can also further develop our business here locally,” said van der Merwe.
The directors of ALG and Cedar Citrus have set up a joint body with workers to administer the FairTrade premium which will result from marketing under the Fairtrade brand. The joint body will analyse ways to support educational projects such as computer training for children from the farms, other forms of training and development, and possibly also extending the Cedar Citrus project to Rooibos tea farming.
Harriet Lamb, executive director of the Fairtrade Foundation, said: “The Fairtrade Foundation is delighted that the British public can buy clementines from ALG and Cedar Citrus which, as empowerment farms, are gradually giving black workers more control and ownership of their farms. It is vitally important that increasing numbers of farmers and workers in Africa have the opportunity to participate in the new opportunities which Fairtrade brings, enabling them to be part of building a brighter future for the continent.”
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