Limerick puts focus on bitter and sweet sides of chocolate production for Fairtrade Fortnight   

THE PLIGHT of chocolate producers around the world is the focus for this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight in Limerick.

Luis Miguel Garcia, a Colombian Fairtrade Coffee Co-op Manager gave a first-hand account of the importance of Fairtrade for his co-workers and their families to the assembled audience, which included the Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, head of Fairtrade Ireland Peter Gaynor and students from around Limerick.

Young people from across Limerick city and county were also a focus of the event as they displayed their posters as part of the Fairtrade Poster competition, which they created to help change the way people think about trade and the products on our shelves.

Speaking at the event, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick Cllr Michael Sheahan said: “The work of the Limerick Fairtrade Committee has been ongoing since Limerick became a Fairtrade City in 2005. More and more people are becoming aware of the need for ethical production of goods and become a lot more conscious of where products are sourced.”

Luis Miguel Garcia said: “It is very satisfying to know that all the achievements we get, goes directly for people that really need them. That is why I wake up every day to go and work with passion. We need to work as any other Company to be sustainable; for us sustainability is beyond economics; it’s also environmental and social. It’s just that Fairtrade give us the tools to get there.”

Chairperson of the Limerick Fairtrade City Committee, Dolores O’Meara said: “Cocoa farmers are struggling. They need to get a better price for their cocoa beans and to sell more under Fairtrade terms. Fairtrade guarantees them a minimum price for their beans and it also gives them an extra payment.

”They depend on us to be 'conscious' consumers and to look for the Fairtrade logo when we shop!”