“Goods produced under conditions which do not meet a rudimentary standard to decency should be regarded as contraband and not allowed to pollute the channels of international commerce.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
A couple of fundamental fair trade principles – democratic and transparent organizations are the backbone in the planning and decision making processes must be inclusive and most of all transparent. Engaging in a fair trade market considered an alternative market must be non-negotiable, more so if the “reason for existence” of an organization are the small producers.
ALTERNATIVE MALPRACTICE AND DECEPTION
Ensuring transparency in a global market scale, with all the parties involved – the producers, traders and consumers must have access to information in the entire supply chain from production, processing the market and even in profit distribution. The simple reason is that this “alternative” trading is considered an antidote to the existing mainstream type believed to be entirely profit-driven, that deprives the rights of the producers and are considered mere raw materials suppliers.
Ironically, an alternative trader organization in Negros engaged in the so called “organic and fair trade” relationship can only cloak itself with organic and fair trade principles as cover to continue its malpractices to extract profits, no different from the traditional profit organization. Without the capacity and capability to improve its infrastructure, develop its human resources and technology investment relevant to its existence this organization can only resort to widespread malpractice betraying its consumers at its best.
It continues to use the small producers as instruments in its callous practices. Callous because it continues to disregard and recognize its incapabilities and the lack of concern for the producers and consumers. It is disgraceful and completely insensitive to the goodwill and trust of its trade partners and even the government, putting its existence at higher risk. It prefers to do betrayal rather than addressing the glaring gaps identified in the supply chain especially in the production and the processing aspects.
The small producers have been clamoring for decades, including their own employees to undertake measures to address this major issue, but to no avail, yet it can only be an expert in the alternative fabrication of documents and malpractices entirely violating the organic and fair trade principles it adheres. Accomplices of this disgraceful practice by this fake alternative trading organization in Negros are the small producers and its own employees.
WAIT IS OVER
It can be recalled that somewhere in 2012 to 2014 the same fake alternative organization faced the same debacle against its own social development organization and the small producers because of the same problem. This organization caused the small producers to disintegrate only to protect their own interest tolerated and perpetrated by the top management most of them part of the social movement as “prime movers” and pioneers of “alternative economic system” in Negros. This was at the height of the sugar crisis and the political turmoil in the 1980’s. Deja vu! History seems to repeat itself that these leaders – yes, the same leaders after a decade of that fiasco are the same leaders who keep repeating the same worsening and deepening problem.
This time however, the small producers have had enough and declared that the wait is over. They have gone tired of the promises to address this major gap in the product’s supply chain. The producers terminated the partnership because this organization refused to undertake measures to address the problem and undermine their ideas and experiences, as if they are irrelevant.
Unlike them the producers feel the guilt especially the fair trade consumers in Europe and Asia. The guilt accumulated that stemmed from the exchange visits the producers experienced when they go abroad to strengthen the partnerships treated with utmost accommodation and respect, because the consumers believe that without the producers alternative trading is impossible. Sadly, they are betrayed by this fake trading organization.
PRODUCERS’ CRUSADE
The producers do not have any plans to reconcile with this organization as it continues to betray consumers and heartlessly continue to use some producer organizations as instruments of their deception. Instead, the producers launched a crusade against the organization to stop its malpractice highly inimical to the producers, consumers and the government.
To many, its malpractice is an open secret among organic practitioners and NGOs in Negros, at times, an object of mockery. But just the same, the producers are in pursuit of transparency and fairness against this organization.*
