“News from a recent visitor to the Palestine Fair Trade Association”
by Jenny Digi http://jaidigi.livejournal.com/

On Monday a small group of us travelled North to Jenin - although first we had to go South, then East before turning North as the direct road is closed to Palestinians, turning a journey that could take about 30 mins into one that takes 90 at least. In Jenin we met with Nasser from the Palestine Fair Trade Association and who is responsible for a number of programs that have been initially funded by micro-loans through Project Hope contacts.

The PFTA has a number of different projects including Olive Cooperatives, 6 Women’s Cooperatives involved in processing various crops that have between 5 and 7 members, and one cooperative of 32 women that harvests and processes wild za-ater in the areas around Nablus. As well as dealing in fairly traded products they are also trying to promote certified organic products to increase the market for their products. Many crops are farmed organically anyway as they follow traditional farming practises, but there are few that are certified.

All the produce is exported and the major markets are North America, Europe and Australia. There is no internal market as the finished product is too expensive for Palestinians. For example, the sesame used in the common market is imported from North Africa and fetches about 6NIS per kg, whereas the local, fairly traded product costs 15NIS a kg. The PFTA insists that all the edible raw materials used in production are local, as Nasser says, what would be the point in importing wheat from Africa?

There are problems though with both import of non-edible raw materials such as bottles, and export of the finished product which often faces delays and red tape at the ports in the destination country - including one in the USA which, quite illegally, refuses to let the produce in unless it is labelled “Made in Israel”. Something which, quite rightly, the PFTA refuses to do.

There are no commercial sized bottle making factories in Palestine, therefore the bottles for the oil etc have to be imported and PFTA gets theirs from Italy. Due to the occupation there is no direct route to Palestine and all imports have to come through Israel, in this case the port at Haifa. There is currently a consignment of bottles stuck in the port since April, due to bureaucratic shenanigans from both Israelis and Palestinian authorities. The Israelis are asking for unnecessary documents from the PA who are unable to provide the requested signed paperwork because the people who need to sign it are always away at conferences. Meanwhile, the PFTA has to pay the storage charge that is already $2500.

There are currently four members of staff, two are based in the office in Jenin, with the other two working from Nablus and Ramallah. There aren’t the finances available for offices for all so the latter two work from home. The PTFA is prioritising employing a woman to oversee the women’s cooperatives as at the moment there are problems with the coordination of these programs. Whilst the male staff can go and see them, they can’t really get involved in training programs etc which are much needed, a woman would have more access fr this and would be able to develop the cooperatives.

Recently there was a massive conference held in Bethlehem, the Palestine Investment Conference, that was inviting internationals to invest in Palestine. Nasser was invited to this but declined to go, in his own words “I didn’t bother going to the PIC as there was no point. All of the money has gone to Ramallah, it was all political and wasn’t abut investing in Palestine. I couldn’t stomach going. No money will get to those who really need it as there is too much corruption.”

Development of the PFTA

There are two broad ways that international organisations see of developing the PFTA movement; those from the USA want to invest top down, put money in to a few head people and hope that the investment trickles down to those who need it, whilst those from the European area believe that the problem is with the Palestinians and all they need is the right training and all will be okay.

For example, one organisation from Italy wanted to spend 6-8000Euros to send “experts” to Palestine to tell the Palestinians how to prune their Olive trees, something they’ve been doing quite successfully for hundreds of years. The key phrase used by internationals is “Capacity Building”, which involves lots of workshops, trainings, etc. With pilots being run from seed funding before programs go ahead. Whilst this is certainly valid in many developing areas, in Palestine the issues are more complex as it is an already developed area on many levels, but one which is held back by the effects of the occupation on the economy.

Nasser has his own view on how development needs to work in his country based on his experience of running the PFTA; he feels what is lacking is materials. He applied for a grant of 2million Euro with a plan to expand their already successful program to work with and therefore empower a further 800 farmers. He wanted to invest in more materials, building processing factories etc and developing the infrastructure needed. He was unsuccessful in his application, the money instead went on running pilots with 24 farmers with a large part of the money going to international consultants rather than those on the ground who could have really used the money.

Effect of Global Economic Downturn

Whilst Palestine is separated from much of the positive side of being part of the global community, such as freedom to travel, security etc, they are not shielded from the more negative aspects and are definitely not immune to the global economic downturn. In one payment alone they lost $24000 from the time of the shipment to the arrival of the money as the dollar dropped dramatically.

We left Jenin and travelled to Fuqqu’a, in the top north-eastern corner of the West Bank to meet with some of the women from one of the couscous cooperatives. Fuqqu’a is a tiny rural village, idylic in many ways with a stunning view to the North of plowed fields, woodland and rolling hills where the villagers used to farm their crops and walk on Fridays with their familes. Not any long, the Apartheid Wall that stretches around the West Bank reaches to here and, whilst not the 8m high concrete monstrosity that it is in some parts, here the tall, red, metal fence draws a distint line between “Palestine” and “Israel”, turning the village into a prison.

After we have been shown the customary Palestinian hospitality of food and coffee we talk about how the couscous cooperative works and the effects that it has had on the women involved. Latifeh and Hatief, two women in their late 40s have come to meet with us. They explain how before the cooperative there was little money and few chances for them to work -especially in the summer. Now, between June and September every year, when the conditions are appropriate for drying the wheat to make couscous, they have a guaranteed wage. As a result they are able to support their children at university - Latifeh has three studying and Hatief two. Whilst the PFTA gives them a wage for processing the wheat in to couscous, they have to pay for all their own equipment, water bills etc. Without the microloan provided to them by a Project Hope supporter the initial outlays would not have been affordable. Microloans work because they are not aid, they don’t encourage an aid-dependent society as they have to be paid back. In Fuqqu’a some of the women have been encouraged by the success of their cooperative to search for other work outside the couscous production time of year. Latifeh is involved in making cheese and yoghurt, and is currently fattening up some lambs for market.

For more information;

www.palestinefairtrade.org