Eswatini Sugar is a certified marketer of Fairtrade sugar, under which all product types can be supplied. In the 2024/25 season, 42 710 tons of sugar was sold as Fairtrade sugar, from the production of the six Fairtrade-certified grower groups.
Small-scale sugarcane growers are Fairtrade certified when they comply with the Fairtrade Standards. The aim of Fairtrade is to encourage consumers worldwide to pay a “fairer price” for products originating in producer countries and produced by groups of small farmers or workers in plantations. Buyers of Fairtrade products are thus required to pay the market price for such products and additionally pay a Fairtrade Premium of USD60 per metric ton over and above the market price. The premium is all paid to the grower.
On the other hand, farmers are required to comply with a set of stringent Fairtrade standards pertaining to the good governance of their respective organisations, protection of the environment and the respect of social standards. In the process, the farmers are also required to submit a Fairtrade Premium Plan, democratically approved by the members of their respective organisations, defining clearly the projects for which the Fairtrade Premium will be used. Such projects, which are meant to improve the quality of life of the farmers and their community, may extend to areas as diverse as production facilities, transport, education, training, and health care to name but a few.