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We are all familiar with many commodities produced in the tropical regions of the world. Pineapples and bananas are as common as fruit grow in our own country. Coffee and chocolate are included in our weekly shopping lists and spices like cinnamon and pepper have been imported for centuries. Over the last decade the large supermarkets have been introducing more tropical fruit like mangoesteens and guava. The popularity of Chinese, Indian and Thai cooking which includes many exotic flavourings has continued to increase.
Most consumers are unaware, for instance, that the glaze used on many brands of sweets is made from a wax exuded by the leaves of a Brazilian tree, that the active ingredient in the fluid used to clean soft contact lenses is made from an extract of the papaya fruit or that most ginger beer on sale in this country gets its 'head' from an ingredient which is extracted from the bark of the soap tree.
"Tropical Commodities and Their Markets" is the first book of its kind to describe the way that over 200 tropical commodities are traded. It covers the markets of many natural fibres, vegetable oils, grains, spices, fruit and vegetables, essential oils, beverages, natural chemicals, drugs, gums and waxes.
Written in straightforward language, the book was designed to assist Third World farmers to find customers for their products, meet quality control and packing standards and to help them obtain a fair price for their exports.
Over the last two decades producers in developing countries have been encouraged by bodies like the World Bank to export ever larger quantities of raw materials which has resulted in over-production and historically low prices for many tropical products.
"Tropical Commodities and Their Markets" describes how the different commodities are produced, and what commitment is required to produce them. This may help farmers to choose alternative crops to those that are no longer giving them an adequate income.
Research for the book was funded by the Overseas Development Administration. A hardback edition of the book is for sale in OECD countries priced at œ40 plus postage and is available from Kogan Page Ltd, 120 Pentonville Road, London, NW1 9JN. An inexpensive softback edition will be made available for œ12 including postage only to Third World agriculturists and their advisers by TWIN at:
TWIN Trading
1 Curtain Street, 3rd floor
London EC2A 3JX, United Kingdom
Tel. 44-171-375-1221 fax 44-171-375-1337
Email: info@twin.org.uk
See also Twin's Network magazine and Twin's Rough Guide to Fair Trade for Business
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