THE Windward Islands Farmers’ Association (WINFA) expresses its full support for the organisation of FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT 2010 in the United Kingdom by the Fairtrade Foundation.{{more}} The Fortnight is due to be formally launched at a ceremony on Monday, February 22, in London. The fortnight is an annual affair, organised by the Foundation to highlight the successes and contribution of the Fairtrade movement in combating poverty in the world and to urge continued support by British consumers for the “Buy Fairtrade”campaign.

This year’s theme for the fortnight, which runs from February 22 to March 7, is “THE BIG SWAP”. The idea is to encourage those consumers and businesses which have not already done so, to swap their everyday purchase of household items to those sold under the Fairtrade label. Already there has been strong support from major British retailers. The big supermarket chains of Sainsbury and Waitrose for instance, only stock Fairtrade bananas providing a market for Windwards banana farmers. In addition major firms like Cadburys, Nestle, Tate and Lyle, Starbucks, Tesco, Boots, and Ben and Jerry’s, sell a wide range of Fairtrade products- tea, coffee, sugar, chocolate, cosmetics and ice cream. These together with pioneering Fairtraders like Café Direct, Traidcraft, Oxfam, Liberation and Divine Chocolate, have enabled Fairtrade sales to grow in Britain by 12% over the past year in spite of the economic depression.

The Fortnight will be officially launched at the Royal Institute of British Architects at a function to be attended by over 300 Fairtrade campaigners, retailers, manufacturers, producers, consumers and government ministers. Britain’s Minister for International Development, Hon. Douglas Alexander, Chief Executive Officer of the Fairtrade Foundation, Dame Harriet Lamb, and supermodel and noted TV presenter, Lisa Butcher, will be among the feature speakers.

WINFA will be represented by Coordinator Renwick Rose and Nioka Abbott-Balcombe, Secretary of the SVG National Fairtrade Organisation, and a Director of Winfarm Investments Ltd. as well as of WINFA.