MITSINJO General Meeting

The General Meeting of the MITSINJO cooperative was held on 20 February 2021. We asked Yasmine Khapery, responsible for the cooperative’s certification and export, about current issues:

Yasmine, how did the General Meeting go? What were the most important points discussed?

All producers are invited to the General Meeting, and on this occasion, around 380 out of 567 members attended. This year, the term of office of the former members of the Board of Directors came to an end, so one agenda item was the election of new members for the next three years.

Apart from the election, there was a report on the turmeric, ginger and cinnamon harvests in 2019-20. Members were also informed about the projects that had been carried out in 2020 thanks to the Fairtrade premiums. In addition, the work plan and the preliminary budget for 2021 were discussed and approved.

For years, the cooperative has invested part of the Fairtrade premiums in a range of community projects. For example, community projects have been implemented with the schools, the church, the local police and with subgroups of the cooperative. This makes it possible for us to maintain a strong and diverse society and to further develop the Anivorano community.

I would like to draw your attention to one special project. In Madagascar, the Ministry of Health distributes impregnated mosquito nets to help fight malaria. While there are excellent motives behind this initiative, it unfortunately poses a problem for our organic production. Our organic products can be contaminated by impregnation with the insecticide permethrin, so we are trying hard to make sure that the impregnated mosquito nets are not used in the Anivorano community. Our members are aware of the harmful effects of permethrin contamination and are working with community representatives to distribute alternative mosquito nets.

Can you tell us what the FLO Fairtrade premiums were used for in 2020?

The following initiatives were decided on at the General Meeting in January 2020 and implemented (some are still in progress):
- Payment for FLO certification for 2020
- Support for the Anivorano community in the distribution of alternative, non-impregnated mosquito nets to spice producers
- Contribution to road construction in the Anivorano community
- Purchase of land for a new drying plant

The actual expenditure for these initiatives is not yet known; the cooperative will report on this at its next meeting in July 2021.

Why is it an advantage for families to have Fairtrade certification?

These families have a big advantage, because the selling price for Fairtrade-certified products is higher than the standard market price. The higher prices mean that families can improve their living conditions. They get the chance to send their children to school and build more robust houses. They can buy additional land to grow more produce. If the families have crops on their own land rather than on rented plots, they can also plant perennial crops and trees that will yield for many years.

The producer families also benefit from the community projects that the cooperative carries out in all settlements, such as the construction of drinking water wells.

As I can see from the photos, you visit the farmers as part of your internal monitoring. Can you tell us about what happens on a visit like this? What are the challenges for the farmer families and what do you talk about during a visit?

As the person responsible for the internal control system, I prepare a certification dossier for all members of the cooperative every year. I am required to visit each cooperative to organise annual training for the internal controllers. During these visits we discuss the rules for organic and fair trade. There is a practical component, carried out directly on the plots, in which we work on developing best practice in pruning, replanting, plant protection and harvesting techniques. Afterwards, the internal controllers organise training sessions in each village, which are attended by the members of the cooperative.

We visit producer families only if we are informed by the internal controllers that the producers have problems complying with the organic and Fairtrade production rules. We have a responsible manager for this purpose in the Mitsinjo cooperative. She visits the producers and supports them on site. The biggest challenge is that most of the producers are not able to read or write and have problems complying with the rules on documentation and traceability. This is why this direct support of farmers on the ground is crucial. It is much appreciated by the smallholders.

During my visits, I also try to find out if there are problems in other areas. I can provide technical or other advice to support the producers and improve cooperation. This enables us to improve the farmers’ level of education and ensure traceability. I pass on requests to the management so that we can offer solutions tailored to the farmers’ needs, as far as possible.

About MITSINJO

With our local partner PREMIUM SPICES, we started working with MITSINJO in 2014, covering the organic and Fairtrade certification costs of the smallholder organisation. The cooperative is located near the port city of Tamatave in eastern Madagascar. It has around 560 members from 6 villages. The production area is 61 hectares, mainly agroforestry mixed crops. The spices are cultivated alongside fruit and vegetables around the families’ homes.

This way of cultivating spices prevents ecological exploitation, meaning that people and nature can live together in harmony. The traditional knowledge of the population and the humid tropical climate combine to create an ideal environment, giving the spices their fine taste and excellent quality. Cinnamon, turmeric and ginger which have the Bio Suisse, EU 834/2007, NOP, Naturland and FLO Fairtrade certificates are cultivated for PRONATEC. After they are harvested, the spices are dried, cut and processed into flakes and packed ready for export.