Fairtrade and its (unexpected) consequences for the Pacific Island Countries

East Timorese women sort coffee beans at a warehouse belonging to an American coffee dealer in Dili. (Photo: AAP)

Authors: Uwe Kaufmann, Di Yuan, Altaf Alam and Faqin Lin, University of Adelaide

Fair trade and ‘Fairtrade’ products have become a topic of great interest in Australia and some of its trading partners.

The Pacific Forum Island countries (PICs) are enjoying free market access to Australia and New Zealand under the non-reciprocal South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement (SPARTECA). Read more…