Fair trade bananas come from farmer organizations and plantations that treat workers humanely and pay them fairly. Large plantations often exploit workers and use harmful chemicals. Fair trade farmers are guaranteed a fair production price and profits are used to harvest chemical-free and fair-trade bananas. Fair trade plantations do not employ children under 15 and workers can form labor unions. Fair trade bananas are more expensive but the extra cost benefits farmers and workers.
Fair Trade bananas are bananas that come from farmer organizations and plantations that treat workers humanely and pay workers fairly. Conversely, bananas that aren’t considered fair trade often come from large plantations that typically exploit workers. Currently, nearly 85% of the bananas sold worldwide are controlled by the big five companies.
People who work on large plantations owned by large corporations often work 12 to 14 hours without being paid any overtime. Furthermore, working conditions are often harsh and dangerous. In order to keep costs down, many large banana plantations actively use huge quantities of fungicides and pesticides to rid crops of insects. These chemicals are harmful to workers who must breathe chemical-laden air. Additionally, the chemicals used to spray the bananas impact people and the environment, as many of these chemicals seep into streams, pastures and water supplies.
Those farmers considered fair trade farmers are guaranteed a fair production price. Profits from production are used to harvest chemical-free and fair-trade bananas. These farmers are also given a premium price per box of bananas, which cannot be used for production purposes. Under fair trade law, the premium amount paid to farmers must be used to pay workers a fair and consistent wage.
Additionally, all farmers who are members of a fair trade organization must divide profits equally, which gives every farmer equal ownership in an organization. Therefore, all fair trade farmers make decisions about crops, workers and wages for each other. People who work on fair trade plantations can also form labor unions. Unions of this type are not allowed on most plantations that are not considered fair trade.
Another important aspect of a fair trade plantation is the age of the workers licensed to harvest bananas. Larger plantations that are not considered fair trade often employ children under the age of fifteen. Fair Trade Plantations are not permitted to employ children under the age of fifteen. In addition, children over the age of fifteen must attend school on a regular basis and cannot be asked to take part in any activity that impacts a child’s health.
Fairtrade bananas tend to be more expensive than bananas produced from huge plantations, although this extra cost is passed on to farmers and workers rather than large corporations. To find fair trade bananas, look for bananas with a “fair trade” sticker. In addition to fair trade bananas, many other crops are considered fair trade, including coffee, honey, rice, juice, flowers, cotton, and various others.
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