Pan-African Association of Banana Producers and Exporters Afruibana has asked the authorities in Cameroon to oppose the salary increase requested by certifiers. Cameroonian Joseph Owono Kono, Head of the association, has called the salary increase measure ‘unbearable’: "We’re here to ask for the support of Cameroonian authorities against the measure by international decision-makers to make us increase the salaries of workers on plantations. We also drew the attention of the authorities to the other possibilities of remuneration in our different countries. We are in favor of social justice, but within the framework of the Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance certifications, they want to impose a salary level. We believe that this level is unbearable for the producers.”
For banana producers in Africa, who are often accused of offering extremely low wages on their plantations, a wage increase that could impose a minimum monthly payment could suffocate the producing companies.
Source: businessincameroon.com