The Philippines is one of the largest sugar producers in the world. Around seventeen provinces of the Philippines grow sugarcane. Fairtrade Network of Asia and Pacific Producers currently has 05 cane sugar producers in the region, supporting 26 cane sugar farmers who produce over 1000 MT of sugar per year. As global demand grows, the sustainable sugar industry is of great importance to the business. Action is therefore needed to maintain a reliable sugar supply for businesses and ensure a sustainable future for farmers and their families.
Becoming a Fairtrade sugar cane producer – and maintaining the required standards – can be complex and ambiguous, with the continual market and organizational challenges. For small producers and workers, Fairtrade offers huge opportunities far beyond just selling products. Understandably, Fairtrade has high standards to maintain. Therefore, continuous education and capacity building training is needed not only for the officers of the producer organization but also for its members.
By complying with the standards, Fairtrade helps producers understand exactly what consumers want and make the producer organization and business more competitive. Fairtrade Standards comprising of both Fairtrade Generic Standards and Fairtrade Product-specific Standards, are requirements that producers and traders have to meet in order to obtain Fairtrade product certification and maintain a sustainable, traceable supply chain and operations.
A 2-day training was organised by Fairtrade Network of Asia and Pacific Producers organised for 33 participants ( Fairtrade producers and traders) to increase the participants’ understanding on Fairtrade Standards, to build awareness and help them map their risk of non-compliance and subsequently work towards reducing non- compliance towards Fairtrade Small Producer Standards. The training was followed by an exposure visit to ATMC mill to understand the processing of sugarcane to Muscovado sugar. Muscovado sugar is one of the prime product of Fairtrade sugarcane producers in the Philippines.
Bonifacio Miraflores, Project Manager MACFAWA, 33614
By working with Fairtrade, your business can be a part of global, lasting change and at the forefront of an international movement to create a better future for small sugar cane farmers, their communities and the entire sugar industry.
