18
New heights for Honduras
‘In 2006, Irish Aid gave
Fairtrade Mark Ireland
a grant of €7.5m over
A member of the Cooperativa Cafetelera
five years to support
San José de Colinas with one of the
small farmers in
solar panels purchased using funds
provided by Irish Aid
Central America’
Kieran Durnien, Fairtrade Labelling
Organizations International (FLO) liaison officer
for Central America, reports on advances in
Honduran coffee production thanks to Fairtrade
and Irish Aid support
HONDURAS, in Central America, has a An example is the Cooperativa the increasingly active participation of Aid programme. It used the funds to
population of about 7.5 million people. Cafetelera San José de Colinas (COCASJOL) women in the running of co-operatives. ensure members were paid on time, thus
Coffee has been its main export for — a small organisation located in the At the general assembly of COCASJOL held encouraging them to maintain and extend
decades. But the country has a reputation department of Santa Bárbara in western in October 2007, three women members their organic Fairtrade production.
for producing poor-quality beans that sell Honduras, comprising 156 members (124 were elected to the board of management Myra Manzanares, general manager of
at a low price on the international men and 32 women). It received funds to for the first time. COMISUYL, explains: “In previous harvests
market. help 20 of its members set up solar-drying we got some loans, but at interest rates of
This is mainly because coffee producers facilities on their farms. These dryers help Give them Credit! up to 5pc per month. A national savings
in Honduras lack knowledge about the ensure that the drying process of the cof- Apart from quality-related issues, small co-operative also gave us a loan, but the
quality requirements of the market and fee is not undermined by unexpected producers in Honduras and throughout coffee had to be in the warehouse of the
exporters in general have little regard for rainfall. The work was carried out in time Central America find it difficult to get exporter before we were given the funds.
ensuring proper procedures in the milling for last year’s harvest. access to affordable credit. Co-operatives That wasn’t much help to us as we still
and exporting process. Alex Gomez, former president of the need money to pay their members for their didn’t have money to pay our members
In the past few years, however, small co-operative and now the sales manager, coffee at harvest time, but it is often many when they needed it: at harvest time. As a
producers and their organisations in says this small investment has been a months before the co-operatives get paid result, many of our members sold their
Honduras have been making serious tremendous success. “The quality of the for the coffee when they sell it to buyers coffee elsewhere, at even lower prices.”
efforts to improve quality and build a bet- coffee produced using these dryers has abroad. They need loans to bridge the gap. This changed in 2007, says Manzanares:
ter reputation for Honduran coffee. greatly improved,” he says. “And the pro- Following the recent coffee crisis, when “As a result of the credit fund, which we
In 2006, Irish Aid — the Irish ducers feel motivated by the practical coffee prices collapsed, the banks tend to received from Irish Aid through FLO, we
government programme for overseas support from Ireland.” consider small coffee producers a credit were able to pay our most loyal and active
development — gave Fairtrade Mark According to Gomez, there is another risk or charge very high interest rates and members up front in 2007. And since it’s a
Ireland a grant of €7.5m (over five years) positive effect of the work carried out by require all kinds of guarantees. credit fund, we can use the same money
to support small farmers in Central Fairtrade Labelling Organizations The Cooperativa Mixta de Subirana Yoro year after year in a revolving manner. We
America. In 2007, a variety of Fairtrade- International (FLO) in Central America, Limitada (COMISUYL), in north-west can even begin to create a capital reserve
certified organisations in Honduras which is supported by Fairtrade Mark Honduras, was one of the organisations to for the organisation, ensuring we are able
received support from this grant. Ireland and the Irish Government. This is receive a small credit fund from the Irish to satisfy the needs of our members.”
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