Fairtrade Fortnight 2016 Spotlight: Kasinthula Cane Growers’ Association
With Fairtrade Fortnight coming to a close, we are going to change things up a little.
So far in this series of posts, we have featured the coffee cooperatives that we work with. But today, we are going to take a look at one of the Fairtrade certified groups that we use to source our Fairtrade certified sugar from.
The group in question is the Kasinthula Cane Growers’ Association, one of the biggest and most successful farming groups in Malawi.
Kasinthula Cane Growers’ Association
The Kasinthula Cane Growers’ Association is a large smallholder sugar cane projected located in Malawi’s Shire Valley.
Straddling the River Shire, the Shire Valley is a harsh part of the world. Summers are long and excruciatingly hot and the rainy season is often short, sharp and torrential. This contrast brings drought, famine and flooding, and makes farming an extremely tough occupation.
To compound matters, literacy levels are low and poverty is widespread.
But, in 1996 the KCGA was formed as a joint venture between the Malawian government and a regional sugar mill. Large swathes of unproductive land was converted and prepared, with sugar the crop of choice.
Initially, the ambitious project could count on 282 strictly subsistence farmers that relied on their small patch of land to provide an income to clothe and feed their families.
Today, thanks to the hard work of those involved, their association with Fairtrade and external investment, 622 farmers work together under the KCGA banner producing around 16,000 tonnes of sugar each year.
Sugar source from the KCGA can be found in numerous European countries, as well as the US.
Premiums Put To Good Use
In 2003, the association became Fairtrade certified.
On average, the KCGA receives a premium of about £42 per tonne on all Fairtrade sales and this vital stream of income has allowed the Association to invest in a variety of life-changing projects.
Some examples include:
- In 2011, the group opened a primary school that allowed children to start school at the age of five. Previously, children had to wait until they were eight, or strong enough to walk the long distance to the nearest available classroom.
- The KCGA helped the Kasinthula Clinic procure the necessary medication to treat bilharzia (a chronic parasitic disease) and expand into a full-time, medical facility capable of support a resident clinical officer.
- Thanks to the money raised from Fairtrade, a brand new water supply was created for the village of Salumeji, thereby eliminating the need for villagers to bathe in and drink potentially polluted water.
Such is its standing, the KCGA has even worked with the Malawian government to make electricity available to 82 households, enabling its members to purchase and make use of necessary appliances such as fridges and lighting.
Fairtrade Brown Sugar
We’re really proud to purchase sugar from the Kasinthula Cane Growers’ Association. So if you wish to support a fantastic organisation, then take a look at our Fairtrade Brown Sugar Sticks.