6:43am Saturday 23rd February 2008
By Jon Wills
A UGANDAN tea factory manager will be visiting Devon during Fairtrade Fortnight to spread the word about fairly-priced products.
Martin Odoch comes from Gulu in Uganda where he is the Field Manager for the Mpanga Growers Tea Factory. The factory buys tea from 748 producers and markets it under the Fairtrade mark.
The Devon Fairtrade Steering Group decided to invite a Fairtrade producer to come to Devon for the whole of Fairtrade Fortnight. So, Martin has been invited to the county and will be appearing at a number of events during the Fortnight which runs from Monday (February 25) until Sunday, March 9.
Steering Group Co-ordinator Sue Errington said: "A cup of tea is such an essential part of our everyday life in England - and a crucial part of every Devon cream tea! This will be a wonderful opportunity for Martin to explain the mysteries of how to grow a green leaf and then create black tea from it. Martin also has worked with small-scale tea growers to make sure that Fairtrade standards are met. I think we will be very interesting to find out more about this aspect of his work. It is going to be a very exciting fortnight."
Martin is looking forward to his visit to Devon.
He said: "Travelling to Devon to be part of the Fairtrade campaign will enable me to meet the Fairtrade consumers. I am very excited at this prospect. In the cool, tropical slopes of Mountain Rwenzori, the rural smallholder tea growers who own Mpanga factory harvest and process more than just tea.
"We process the best pickings of our plantations with care, then dispatch them with lots of smiles, for under Fairtrade we do not spend sleepless nights worrying whether the market will appreciate our efforts by offering a fair price. We however wonder if the final consumers ever notice the distinctive aroma of our thankfulness' as they drink their tea.
"I hope to highlight the importance of the Fairtrade consumers during my visit because they enable Fairtrade to put smiles on the faces of growers in Uganda."
Devon County Council is supporting Fairtrade for Devon's bid to have the county officially recognised as a Fairtrade County.
County Councillor Chris Bray, who sits on the Fairtrade for Devon Steering Committee, said: "We are very much looking forward to Martin's visit and we hope that it will encourage and enthuse people living in the towns which have already achieved Fairtrade status and those which are working towards it.
Details of this year's Fairtrade Fortnight can be found at http://www.fairtradedevon.org.uk/
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