UTZ CERTIFIED farmers sell…
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. This is the highest first quarter volume in the history of UTZ CERTIFIED Good Inside. According to UTZ CERTIFIED, a leading independent sustainability program for agricultural production, the record sales are another proof that the demand for sustainably produced and sourced agricultural products is increasing rapidly.
The high volumes in the first quarter of 2010 are a continuation of the growth path of last year. The total production volume of UTZ CERTIFIED Good Inside coffee in 2009 increased by 18% to 365,010 metric tons compared to 2008. These volumes make UTZ CERTIFIED one of the largest sustainability programs for coffee worldwide.
UTZ CERTIFIED aims to supply mainstream coffee markets with sustainably produced and sourced coffee . Following the world market, Brazil is therefore the largest supplier of UTZ CERTIFIED Good Inside coffee and Vietnam is the second largest. In 2009 Brazil was responsible for the production of 108,615 metric tons of green coffee, almost one third of the total UTZ CERTIFIED sustainable production volume. Vietnam production was 93,634 metric tons last year.
More than 95,000 estates and smallholders have been UTZ CERTIFIED. With this, the number of awarded certificates in 2009 increased by 68% compared to the year before.
Sustainable production is a necessity
The international ING bank emphasizes the importance of sustainable production for multinational companies in the report ‘The Third Industrial Revolution’. The researchers at ING stress the fact that multinationals should commit to the producers in upcoming markets like Brazil, by passing on knowledge and investing in the economical development of these countries. Companies who fail to do this should take in account that this will eventually lead to a weakening of their own market position, according to ING. The bank calls this development ‘the third industrial revolution’.
UTZ CERTIFIED Good Inside Commercial Director Juliette Caulkins supports the position for sustainable sourcing which ING points out in their report: “Sustainability is emerging from the niche position where it has been the past years. This is being made visible through increasing demand for sustainably sourced coffee and also through the increased willingness to invest in and commit to sustainability by the mainstream market’s biggest players like Sara Lee, Ahold, Nestlé and Mars, (all UTZ CERTIFIED Good Inside partners). It is no longer just an issue of poverty reduction; it is about achieving more efficient production and increased cost-efficiencies. Financers like ING are also seeing the need for practical solutions to sustainability as in the end, sustainable production methods translate into a thriving world market.”
Sustainable agriculture starts with producers knowing how to manage their farms. UTZ CERTIFIED Good Inside therefore trains farmers and facilitates them with practical solutions for common challenges in the area of coffee farming. Caulkins: “The UTZ CERTIFIED sustainability program, works from both a top down approach, using the UTZ CERTIFIED code to meet market requirements, as well as a bottom up approach, of analyzing the major problem areas for farmers on issues that have the most impact on income and sustainability.”
Further information: www.utzcertified.org