Dieter Overath TransFair

TransFair's Dieter Overath

Sales of Fairtrade products in Germany jumped 26 per cent to €827m in 2014 according to a new report from EurActiv Germany. Fairtrade bananas saw a 62 per cent increase and now make up 8 per cent of total banana sales in the country, the report said.

Dieter Overath of the TransFair association said this was the strongest growth recorded since the Fairtrade label was introduced. Speaking to journalists in Berlin, he said the German fair trade market was the most dynamic in the world and that German consumers had become more politically conscious in recent years and wanted to make a positive contribution to society, particularly in the light of recent catastrophic events.

He said the upward trend is likely to continue as the discounters and retail chains increasingly relied on the label.