Cheap tropical Fruits : such As developing countries under our supermarket prices suffer

The Germans love bananas: Per year, each consumed in this country twelve pounds on the average. In terms of popularity, the yellow fruit stands in second place behind the Apple. This is likely to be due to the fact that many supermarkets, bananas are always cheaper, offer too favorable, such as aid organisations complain about. Because the farmers in the producing countries get less money, when in the German food trade, the Kilo costs only 79 cents.

Especially in the past few months, the prices for bananas decreased dramatically, claims the non-profit Association TransFair, the umbrella organisation for the Fairtrade awards. The result: "banana farmers and importers to pay for it," says the Chairman of the Board Dieter Overath. And this will lead to more poverty, child labour and the drug trade as an additional income. Despite the transport distances of up to 11 000 kilometers, the fruits often cost only half as much as domestic Apples.

NGOs make supermarkets serious allegations

The debt the organization is the large retail. This would be their market power abuse, to compete with low prices against the competition. "Since few months, the dealer will offer on a regular basis in the pounds of prices," said Overath. In spite of increasing demands on quality, environmental protection and occupational safety.

How expensive bananas would have to actually be charged the organizations, the "true price" and "Trucost" – and about the inadequate wages and insecurity of the workers is taken into account. Add to this the cost of environmental impacts such as water scarcity. The result: A Kilo of conventional bananas caused the equivalent of about 33 cents of such external costs. What's the German supermarket customers is a small amount, is likely to lack the Ecuadorians felt. The average monthly income in the South American country is only one-fifth of German wages.

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Aldi wants improvements

Recently, the Ecuadorian banana farmers are facing in an open letter to the discounters Aldi. In the fall of the German chain had announced, namely, to reduce in the following months, the price of bananas. The Aldi prices would force you to break the Ecuadorian law, wrote to the farmers. In Ecuador, a minimum price for the Export of bananas, equivalent to € 5.50 per 18 kg crate. "The published letters of the Ecuadorian banana sector, we take very seriously", he stated at Aldi Nord. The company wants to develop measures of the "systemic improvements" in the banana production.

Low prices put a strain on not only the banana farmers. Similarly, it is also on the coffee - or cocoa market, say the NGOs. The world price for cocoa, 2017 beans literally broke, and since then it has been slow on the up again. Affected especially Nigeria, Ghana and the ivory coast, from the shrubs of almost all the cocoa for the German market comes. In the ivory coast, an average peasant family deserve with your crop that is currently 170 euros per month, estimates that the Federal development Ministry. That's hardly enough to live on. More than two million children work on West African cocoa plantations.

in the long term, only sustainable cocoa

The favorite candy of the German, the chocolates, has also called development Minister Gerd Müller (CSU) on the Plan: "We need to pay people fair prices, so that farmers can make a living from your income and not a child needs on the plantations, slave." Müller has stated his goal in a Ten-point Plan, he has recently introduced. In the coming years, the share of certified cocoa is expected to rise first gradually, even in the long run everything should originate from sustainable cultivation; today there are ten percent, say NGOs. A significantly higher rate of farmers to benefit: seal organizations price usually require a minimum. To implement Minister Müller, among others, with EU-wide Standards and information campaigns.

More information on the fruit counter could also help the pineapple farmers in Costa Rica. The Central American country is the world's largest producer of the Tropical fruit. Pickers would work up to twelve hours per day, and were in some cases not even the minimum wage, according to development organisation Oxfam. In addition, still toxic pesticides would be sprayed – sometimes without protection for the workers. They complain of skin rashes, respiratory problems and headaches.

Lidl makes it before

The German retailers do not want to accept the role of perpetrator. Edeka, for example, points on a number of initiatives in which the composite is already working for better conditions. Also, not everything lies in the hands of the supermarkets: "The trade sources its products from suppliers in the respective countries of production," according to the German retail Association (HDE). Therefore, the securing Standards is at the suppliers is a big challenge. At the same time, cooperation with organisations like Fairtrade often a complicated and lengthy process.

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A supermarket chain had apparently less of a problem: The Discounter Lidl is already all conventional bananas step way on Fairtrade. Since the beginning of the month should be in 1300 stores, only certified fruit for sale. And so it is from Lidl, the cost to the customer per Kilo only ten cents more.