Tessa's Report on Fair Trade in Cuba

Our first visit was to CPA Jose Marti Co-operative (almost everything is called Jose Marti in Cuba after their national hero), where farmers have pooled ownership of their land and benefit from sharing facilities, equipment and credit.  We met and chatted with some of the farmers, including Lucio Parada Carmenate whose picture features on the Gerber Fruit Passion orange juice packaging.  The other farmers tease him good-naturedly because they can’t believe that their pal is ‘famoso’ overseas.  It was the wrong season to see fruit on the trees, but we did visit an impressive nursery and a repair workshop built using fair trade premium.

Our second visit was to CCS Jose Marti Cooperative.  At this farm, farmers own their own land, but agree to share facilities, equipment and credit.  I enjoyed meeting the producers and seeing first hand the other end of the fair trade supply chain.  So many more Cuban farms could easily become Fair Trade suppliers if only there was more demand for the produce. We were escorted to both farms by officials from ANAP, the government organisation which buys and processes all the fruit from the farms and acts as a channel for the Fair Trade premium under the supervision of the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO).  

Noel Pena, President of ANAP for Province of Ciego de Avila said "This has been an enriching exchange because we are working new projects in which the farmers are being benefited directly.  Then the farmers will use their resources in these areas they decide are more useful.  Farmers they are requesting machinery to increase the levels of production to increase their production not only to export but also for the Cuban people."

Other highlights of the tour included the stunning  beauty of regions like Vinales and Soroa, swimming in the Carribbean, visiting the Bay of  Pigs, holding a baby crocodile, visiting an organic farm, a tobacco farm, a medicinal farm, a sugar  plantation, a coffee plantation, a botanic garden, an orchid garden, a renewable energy farm, a  maternity ward, a doctors surgery, a school,  climbing a mountain in the rainforest, walking  under a waterfall and best of all for me - an  encounter with dolphins.  Throughout the trip it  was impossible to escape from the sounds of toe-tapping Cuban music and we even had a go at learning to salsa.

My political viewpoints were challenged.  I went to Cuba expecting to see a crumbling landscape and oppressed society because of Cuban communism and the US embargo.  Indeed, much of the architecture has suffered forty years of neglect and many cars were the classic vintage beauties held together with wire and pride.  We were aware of a strong political presence and we witnessed severe poverty but I was overwhelmed by the smiling warmth of Cuban people who enjoyed a sense of freedom from exploitation and domination and we noticed how social policies often seemed to be more about common sense, than political correctness.  The embargo has necessitated sustainable development and organic farming practices which lend themselves to Fair Trade certification.  When I asked our tour guide and translator what he thought of Fair Trade he said “It is the solution for Cuba” and others said that it was an ideal way to get round the embargo

I was fortunate to have a wonderful group of travelling companions, many of them Fair Traders, who will remain friends forever.  During an evening power-cut we took one of many opportunities to enjoy some rum cocktails together.  Someone in the group came up with a toast which combined our trade justice interests with a traditional Cuban toast and which we used throughout the fortnight and continue to do so in regular emails to each other since returning home - Freedom, Independence and Fair Trade, or FIFT! for short.  FIFT to Cuba!

For more information on our trip to Cuba click here

If you would like more information on any of our tours or to check availability please call Lizzie or Paul on 0191 2651110 or email us at info@skedaddle.co.uk