A FARMER from one of Africa’s poorest countries has been in Castle Douglas to see for himself a Fairtrade product he helps to grow go on sale.
Kenneth Mwakasungala from Malawi visited the Co-op store on Cotton Street where stocks of Kilombero rice have recently been added on to the shelves.
Among those that greeted Kenneth were members of local Fairtrade groups – Katherine Naylor from Castle Douglas, and Norah Anderson and May van Zwanenberg from the organisation in Kirkcudbright.
The rice is already sold at Fairtrade shops, schools and at local churches but the link with the Co-op gives the farmers access to a major Scottish market for the first time after the retailer recently became the first to stock the product in its stores nationwide.
Kenneth said: ‘I was delighted to visit and see the rice on sale. I would like to thank the people from the Castle Douglas Co-op and the local Fairtrade groups who are supporting us and who also were very kind to give me such a warm welcome.’
Later in the day at the Crichton Royal Farm in Dumfries the farmer gave a talk to the Scotland-Malawi partnership, an organisation set up to foster links between the two countries. At the meeting, a new rice threshing machine was on display which has been used by Kenneth and was designed by a team from Torthorwald and New Abbey.
The rice is distributed throughout the country by Paisley-based free trade importer Just Trading Scotland who, backed by the Scottish Government and with funding from Social Investment Scotland, has worked with smallholder farmers in Malawi since 2009.
During this time the organisation set up a ‘90kg Rice Challenge’ which aids children’s education.
As part of this initiative, one child’s secondary schooling for one year is funded by the sale of 90kg of rice. The Co-op link now means a child from Kenneth’s co-operative in Karonga, northern Malawi, will benefit from the rice sales at all the retailer’s Scottish stores.
Alasdair Fowle, the Co-op’s Divisional Marketing Manager, said: “We’re very pleased to be listing the Kilombero rice at our Castle Douglas store along with the rest of our stores across the country.
‘Our customers enjoy the high quality products we offer, safe in the knowledge that we are committed to ethical sourcing and this product is another demonstration of how important it is to our brand.”
John Riches, chairman at Just Trading Scotland, added: ‘We’re delighted that Kenneth has been able to see the rice on the shelves in Co-op stores, including the one in Castle Douglas.’
‘Scots have supported the Malawi rice growers and have shown there is a demand for ethically sourced, fairly-traded premium products.
‘By purchasing Kilombero rice from the Co-op, we can all make a huge difference by helping to unlock the potential of people and communities in Malawi.’
