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Fairtrade Products From Palestine Launched In Ireland

Fairtrade-compPictured here is Gerard O’Hara, Thurles Fairtrade Town committee, presenting competition winner Jerry Comerford, Templetuohy, Thurles Co.Tipperary with a Fairtrade hamper, accompanied by Noel Kennedy member of Thurles Fairtrade Town committee.

Meanwhile the first Fairtrade Certified products from Palestine were launched in Ireland recently. Zaytoun’s range of organic and Fairtrade Certified Olive Oils are the first FAIRTRADE Mark products of their kind, and the Zaytoun company hopes the Fairtrade link will open up new markets for marginalised Palestinian producers in the West Bank and Gaza regions.

Current political circumstances mean that Palestinian producers are only accessing less than a quarter of their EU 2000-tonne-a-year quota for olive oil. Fairtrade campaigners say the launch of the Zaytoun Fairtrade olive oil brand will help create a viable, long-term market for thousands of Palestinian farmers while the Fairtrade premium will also help farmers modernise and expand their production.

Nasser Abufarha, an olive oil producer and chairman of the Palestinian Fairtrade Association which represents over 1,700 farmers and producers stated:

“Gaining access to markets in the west for Zaytoun olive oil is a very important step forward for our producers. We are very proud that Zaytoun is the first olive oil product in the world to achieve Fairtrade certification. We also hope that this launch will focus attention on Palestine as a place of agricultural production and highlight the difficulties Palestinian farmers face in getting their produce to domestic and international markets”.

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