Last Friday, November 27, banana producers and exporters unions from 7 Latin American countries convened a tripartite table to which they invited the most relevant European retailers and the Rainforest Alliance certifier. The goal of the meeting was to reach a common position to end the conflict over new certification standards imposed by the Rainforest Alliance.
Despite the Rainforest Alliance's refusal to attend, the guilds and retail groups that attended the meeting agreed that the Rainforest Alliance has the obligation to define the concept of Shared Responsibility, as well as to convene a specific committee for its development with representatives of the producers and retail groups.
"We are curious about RfA's refusal to participate in this dialogue table when they themselves have established the requirements of Shared Responsibility through the Sustainability Differential," the banana producers stated. "We're not having a discussion about prices. We're having a discussion about how to make the frog seal a fair seal, with added value, and based on standards that do not endanger the sustainability of banana producers," they added. To do this, the banana producers requested a meeting with the Board of Directors of the certifier on a date that will later be defined.
For more information:
Juan José Pons Arizaga
Coordinator
Ecuador's Banana Cluster
Email: jjponsa@hotmail.com