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. The Fortnight is due to be formally launched at a ceremony on Monday, February 22, in London. The fortnight is organised  annually by the Foundation to highlight the successes and contribution of the Fairtrade movement in fighting poverty around 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 Feb. 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. There already has been strong support from major British retailers. The big supermarket chains, Sainsbury and Waitrose for instance, only stock Fairtrade bananas, thus 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 by 12% over the past year in the UK, 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. The UK Minister for International Development, the Hon. Douglas Alexander; the Chief Executive Officer of the Fairtrade Foundation, Dame Harriet Lamb; and supermodel and noted TV presenter, Lisa Butcher, will be among the featured speakers. 

WINFA will be represented by its Coordinator, Mr. Renwick Rose; by Ms. Nioka Abbott-Balcombe, Secretary of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines National Fairtrade Organisation; and a Director of WINFARM INVESTMENTS LTD.