Thailand's True Heroes

Thailand's True Heroes

Posted by Tawan , Reader : 968 , 18:20:48
Print

Although, this is not a new story just a reminder to everyone to continue to support the Fairtrade Certification a non-profit organization that ensures Fairtrade Minimum Price guarantees reaches our rice farmers. Thai rice farmers are gaining independence as a result of this program. Please buy only Fairtrade Certified products whenever you can.

You could not tell from the pictures but these Issan farmers are true international trade heroes. They do not wear a suit and tie and or not CFO’s. But they have on their own taken the initiative and became certified as Fairtrade Certified Producers. Their rice is found in supermarkets around the world.
Below is a list of Fairtrade Certified Producers in Thailand.

Fairtrade Certified Producers results can be seen below in Coffee Prices.

Thailand’s rice farmer is not only Thailand’s true heroes. Their business plan is as good as any Fortune 500 Global Company. I quote -
“The money from the Fairtrade Premium is used to support various educational, cultural and environmental projects in the area, such as planting trees in the community forest. During weekends, children help out in the planting and learn about environmental issues and how to care for the environment. The forest in turn benefits the community by providing, for example, wood and fruit.
Another big achievement of the Rice Fund Surin cooperative was to reduce its dependency on rice as the only crop. The cooperative is using the Fairtrade Premium to create a fund for its members to buy seeds in order to allow the cooperative to grow other crops besides rice. By doing so, the cooperative can diversify its income during the year and no longer depends on the harvest of one crop, creating more security and stability for the cooperative. “
I do not know if they were invited to the United Nations Climate Change talks in Bangkok, but they should have. You can learn a lot from an Issan farmer if given a chance.