Banana shake-up: Fairtrade bananas now available in New Zealand

15 Feb 10


  • "The challenge now is that we have just a few weeks to prove to supermarkets that Fairtrade bananas will be a success with Kiwi shoppers. To do that, we all need to buy a bunch next time we go to the supermarket.”'

New Zealand’s first ever shipment of Fairtrade certified bananas is now available in selected Auckland supermarkets and Oxfam is calling on fair-minded Kiwi shoppers to add Fairtrade bananas to their weekly shopping list.

The bananas have been grown by the farmers of the El Guabo co-operative in Ecuador. By buying Fairtrade bananas, shoppers here will make a significantly positive difference to the lives of the El Guabo growers – helping them work their way out of the poverty which is widespread amongst banana growers.

The global banana industry is dominated by a handful of multinational corporations, who are able to use their market power to force down prices paid to the growers. Low wages and long hours are the norm on banana plantations and worker’s rights abuses are common. Agrochemicals are extensively used on banana plantations to combat crop diseases, and exposure to these chemicals can have devastating impacts on the health of banana growers and their families – including cancer, sterility and birth defects.

For the small-scale banana farmers of the El Guabo co-operative however, the future is looking much more positive. The El Guabo growers rarely use pesticides on their bananas and are working towards organic farming. Through selling to the Fairtrade market, they have been able to significantly increase their incomes. They have been able to provide scholarships for their children and invest in a nursery and a special needs school. They have been able to provide free medical care for workers and their families.

“The biggest difference with Fairtrade is that before we never had any money,” says Sylvia Ramirez, banana farmer and member of the El Guabo co-operative in Ecuador. “Now we can plan and spend money to improve things on the farm. Now we can spend on better education for the kids, on better groceries for the family, better clothes.”

Globally consumers buy 300,000 metric tons of Fairtrade bananas every year and Fairtrade bananas have captured significant shares of the retail market in Europe, but until now Fairtrade bananas have not been available in New Zealand.

Oxfam is campaigning for a wider range of Fairtrade products (including Fairtrade bananas) to be stocked in supermarkets here, and over the past two years thousands of Oxfam supporters have petitioned their local supermarkets as part of the Check Out Fairtrade campaign.

“The arrival of Fairtrade bananas in our supermarkets shows that the supermarkets have been listening to their customers,” says Oxfam’s Fairtrade co-ordinator Linda Broom. “It’s a clear demonstration of our power as consumers.

“The challenge now is that we have just a few weeks to prove to supermarkets that Fairtrade bananas will be a success with Kiwi shoppers. To do that, we all need to buy a bunch next time we go to the supermarket. If Fairtrade bananas aren’t available in your local supermarket – ask your supermarket to stock them!” ”'

The Fairtrade bananas are being imported by All Good Organics, who since 2008 have also been importing organic bananas from Oxfam’s partner in Samoa, Women in Business. All Good Organics and Oxfam are supporting Women in Business to become Fairtrade certified.

Looking for a banana?


This video is about Fairtrade certified banana producers in the Dominican Republic.

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