Small-scale avocado growers in Peru are having a tough time. Fairtrasa aims to help these growers, especially in their current situation. The pandemic and the war between Russia/Ukraine war is greatly affecting those farmers, mainly regarding logistics. Then there are the increased costs like fuel and living expenses.
"The Peruvian avocado season is about to start, and we'll be getting delicious avocados this week. Those are grown on about 47,000 hectares. About 35% of Peru's avocados come from large producers, mainly from the La Libertad region. The rest, mostly from small-scale growers, are spread across Peru's central and southern coasts," says Yesy Lalupu Valladolid of Fairtrasa Peru.
"Fairtrasa's small growers are doing everything they can to make their crop profitable. Price pressure negatively affects them because they still farm traditionally, which is often inefficient. We're working hard with our growers to improve this. The low European prices don't make up for the cost increases, and that's not good for our growers. In week 17, there's a worrying drop in prices due to high supply volumes. That's leading to unethical practices."
"Small-scale growers are part of a globalizing economy, which entails huge challenges. Fairtrasa Peru wants to make the work we're already doing visible to everyone, as part of the solution, to this complex reality," says Yesy.
"We should all form part of the solution. Fairtrasa Peru promotes organic growing practices and sustainability in general. That branch also takes a holistic view of cultivation and critically considers factors such as water consumption, soil conditions, and climate change."
"Our work's crux is our growers, like Olga Alayo, Maura Lizarde, or Jorge Aquiles Saavedra's confidence in us. They've been with us since we started exporting avocadoes. More growers are joining us because our model gives our Peruvian farmers better returns. This commercial alliance's advantage is that both parties can achieve positive results. After all, you make an impact together, and Fairtrasa is thus proud of this cooperation. As of May 6, our avocados are available in the Netherlands," Yesy concludes.
For more information:
Fairtrasa Holland
Yannick Stierman: +31 (0) 174 291 609
Friso Sterk: +31 (0) 174 291 608
Stephan Schoemaker: +31 (0) 174 291 603
Website: www.fairtrasa.com