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After thousands of miles and thousands of smiles, the Jasmine Rice Campaign speaking tour has come to a close. We at ENGAGE feel it was a huge success. Through the efforts of 23 key ENGAGE organizers across the country, the farmers spoke at 33 venues on their 16 day tour. We helped the farmers reach over 1400 audience members from a variety of communities in 13 different cities. During the tour, we had worked with over 40 organizations in Seattle, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Boston, and many other cities. As we continue our work on this Jasmine Rice issue, we look forward to strengthening and enhancing our relationship with these organizations.
Currently ENGAGE is working to build on the momentum of the tour and work towards concrete goals. On the tour, we met with several organizations that deal with fair trade networks for importing food to America.
When consumers buy fair trade foods, the price they pay insures that the farmers who grow that food are receiving enough money to continue living as farmers while supporting their families, forming savings groups, paying for medical care, and sending their children to school, among other things. What the farmers promise is that their crops are grown organically and with respect for the natural ecosystems in which they farm. Right now, most farmers receive only 5 baht per kilogram for their Jasmine rice, which is not enough to take care of their families and the environment. Some food products that have fair trade networks already are coffee, tea, sugar, cocoa, and bananas, but not yet Jasmine rice. We are now in the process of talking with these organizations to move ahead in setting up a fair trade network so that consumers in America can feel good about supporting the farmers in Thailand.
ENGAGE is also working on a way to work with theFederal Trade Commission in America to protectconsumers from deceptive labeling. Currently, the name Jasmine rice is not protected and not restricted to rice coming from Thailand. Large American rice companies can sell other types of rice of lower quality, which claim to be similar to Jasmine rice, under any name they choose. Our aim is to get the US government to reserve the name Jasmine rice for rice grown in Thailand, so that American consumers can know that they are getting the specific type of rice they want.
We are exploring different ways to put pressure on the government, from petitions to legal action, and even working through the Thai government to in turn put pressure on the United States. Currently, the FTC has stated that they will not take steps to protect the name Jasmine unless the Thai government is working to protect it and limit its use to the specific type of rice that is grown in Thailand. We are now looking at how we can work with the Thai government so that we can work in turn with the US government as well. It is a long road but we feel that we can succeed.
We can use all the help we can get. The fair trade organizers told us that they only real way to set up a fair trade network is for the major consumers of Jasmine rice (restaurants and food markets) to ask their suppliers to start selling fair trade Jasmine rice. The suppliers can then ask for it from the producers in Thailand, and with some help from organizations Transfair USA or Equal Exchange, the farmers can establish their own cooperatives to begin to export fair trade rice to America. So, go to your favorite restaurant and grocery store and ask for fair trade Jasmine rice. It is a better system for the consumers, the farmers, and the global environment.
You can also help by supporting ENGAGE in our work.As we plan more events in the future, we will always be working with local organizations to help us host talks, spread information, and reach more members in communities all over the country. You can also make tax-deductible donations directly to ENGAGE to help create a better world. To donate and for more information, please contact:
ENGAGE
Attn: Laura Millay, National Coordinator
PO Box 336
Surry, Maine 04684
(207) 266-8064
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