Industry leaders and businesses were this week urged to scale up their engagement with Fairtrade, as the Fairtrade Foundation held its annual conference in London.

The conference took on the ‘Tipping the balance’ theme adopted as the name of the five-year Fairtrade strategy launched in February, which aims to achieve a four-fold sales expansion by 2012 to £2 billion.

The British government added its support to the objective, with secretary of state for international development, Douglas Alexander, telling delegates: "Fairtrade has helped put development on the shopping list...But there are millions of other farmers in developing countries who want the fair prices and steady demand Fairtrade brings. That is why we are funding the Fairtrade Foundation to help them tip the balance. Companies and retailers are critical to achieving this ambitious goal, in the choices about where they buy from, the terms of trade and how they share this information with customers.

"We congratulate all businesses who have helped put Fairtrade on the shelf, and call upon the business community to take Fairtrade to the next level, making it more mainstream still. The retail industry can open doors to more farmers in developing countries…by enabling shoppers to support Fairtrade every day."

Sales of Fairtrade products for April to June 2008 grew by 55 per cent on the same period last year - to £176m. Volume, the best indicator of the amount of Fairtrade premiums that go back to producer groups to spend on community development projects, such as classrooms and clinics, increased by 42 per cent in food alone. The core banana category continued to show a steady growth of 27 per cent in the second quarter of 2008.

“This continuing uplift in sales is great news and shows the public is still taking Fairtrade to heart. Every day in shops up and down the country consumers are becoming the champions of change. Times are tough for everyone, but producers need Fairtrade now more than ever,” said Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation. “The scale and level of poverty worldwide demands that businesses and consumers urgently need to play their part to scale up Fairtrade and in these tough economic times, people in developing countries who typically spend over 50 per cent of their income on food, are the most severely affected.

“In Kenya recently, a farmer told me that a bag of maize had increased by 100%. On top of this, farmers are struggling to pay soaring fuel and fertiliser costs. Fairtrade offers people a ladder out of poverty, helping farmers themselves work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Business needs to play its part in offering farmers a market in the UK, so opening the way for more farmers to sell their goods on fairer terms.”

The theme for Fairtrade Fortnight 2009 (February 23 to March 8), Make it happen. Choose Fairtrade, was also unveiled to conference delegates.

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