Abidjan, The 2nd edition of the National Fair Trade Days (JNCE) will be held from March 26 to 27 in Abidjan, under the theme “the cooperative at the heart of fair trade”.

Initiated by the Ivorian fair trade network (RICE), these days aim to contribute to the popularization of the concept of fair trade and create a framework for exchanges between actors. They also aim to make this type of trade better known to stakeholders in the various sectors involved in fair trade in Côte d'Ivoire and in the countries of the sub-region.

More than 300 participants including representatives of the private and public sector, ministries and public and parapublic institutions, cooperatives, technical and financial partners, certification bodies are expected at these meetings.

Fair trade is an exchange system whose objective is to improve the living conditions of small producers, marginalized by their lack of means and sometimes experience.

In Côte d'Ivoire, 250 certified producer organizations (POs) bear the fair trade label. This represents more than 190,000 producers and workers in the production of cocoa, cashew, handicrafts, fresh fruit, honey benefiting from fair trade.