Second National Fairtrade Conference to be held in Bengaluru on Sept 9,10

Bengaluru, Aug 31 (PTI) Fairtrade India (Centre for Social Markets), in collaboration with the Fairtrade Network of Asia and Pacific Producers (Fairtrade-NAPP), will host the Second National Fairtrade in India Conference here on September 9 and 10.

The event is supported by the European Union’s SWITCH-Asia Programme and the European Commission’s Funding Framework Partnership Agreement (EC FFPA), which provides strategic funding to promote sustainable and ethical trade practices.

Pravakar Meher, Chairman of Fairtrade-NAPP, said the first edition of the conference laid a strong foundation for advancing ethical and sustainable trade in India.

“Building on this momentum, the second edition brings together producer members — including farmers’ cooperatives and plantations — along with businesses, policymakers, and consumers to place fairtrade firmly on the national agenda,” he said in a press release issued on Sunday.

According to him, the fairtrade model offers a win-win solution. “For farmers and workers, it translates into fairer prices and stronger livelihoods, and for businesses, it offers transparent and responsible supply chains that meet the rising demand for sustainability,” he said.

Abhishek Jani, CEO of the Fairtrade India Project, underlined the urgency of supporting farmers and MSMEs amid volatile global trading conditions and the growing impact of climate change. “This conference is about mainstreaming fairtrade — making sustainability accessible, scalable, and impactful for farmers, businesses, and consumers alike,” he said.

The theme for this year’s conference is ‘Sustainability, Markets, and Impact’, highlighting the role of fairtrade in promoting ethical trade, strengthening sustainable agriculture, and enabling resilient supply chains in and from India.

The two-day programme will include plenary and breakout sessions on pressing issues in sustainable trade, such as fairtrade’s contribution to agriculture and climate resilience. PTI JR SSK