Pros and Cons

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Coffee drinkers should buy Fair Trade coffee
For	Against
buying Fair Trade coffee will improve the livelihood of small coffee growers Fair Trade coffee is environmentally-friendly	the actual Fair Trade coffee movement is not ideal as itself suggests coffee drinkers may suffer from an increase in coffee price Fair Trade coffee offers only a limited selection of coffee, unlike regular coffee which has a large selection from all over the world Fair Trade coffee has a lower quality the production of Fair Trade coffee is economically inefficient

buying Fair Trade coffee will improve the livelihood of small coffee growers
For	Against
under the certification of the Fair Trade, a much more reasonable income of small coffee growers can then be secured the system helps the certified growers organize cooperatives or establish direct linkages with importers and roasters only by buying Fairtrade bananas can you be sure that price cuts in the shops do not translate into wage cuts for banana workers	the monetary benefits derived from selling Fair Trade coffee often goes to the retailers instead of the coffee growers the amount of help offered is very limited

under the certification of the Fair Trade, a much more reasonable income of small coffee growers can then be secured
For	Against
the minimum price is a guaranteed price which at least covers the sustainable production cost of the coffee growers the fixed price floor for coffee beans suggested by Fair Trade is US$1.26/lbs , which is much higher than the current market price ($0.6-0.7/lbs)

the system helps the certified growers organize cooperatives or establish direct linkages with importers and roasters
For	Against
setting up direct linkage releases the certified small coffee growers from exploitation by ‘coyotes’ and other intermediaries

the monetary benefits derived from selling Fair Trade coffee often goes to the retailers instead of the coffee growers
For	Against
retailers charge huge markups on Fair Trade coffee

the amount of help offered is very limited
For	Against
the portion of certified small coffee growers worldwide is small	as the system spreads worldwide, help will be spread to a larger portion of coffee growers

the portion of certified small coffee growers worldwide is small
For	Against
most fair trade coffee are grown by coffee growers in Central and South America with only some grown in East Africa and the Pacific

Fair Trade coffee is environmentally-friendly
For	Against
without the price floor secured by Fair Trade, it's common for coffee growers to use even poisonous chemicals in order to increase the harvest around 85% of Fair Trade coffee is certified organic or shade-grown under a canopy of existing forest, instead of higher-yield methods on cleared land

around 85% of Fair Trade coffee is certified organic or shade-grown under a canopy of existing forest, instead of higher-yield methods on cleared land
For	Against
most Fair Trade coffee is grown by small growers who use traditional farming techniques, instead of modern practices like pesticides or cutting down forest	employing organic farming techniques does not mean that the coffee can grow sustainably

employing organic farming techniques does not mean that the coffee can grow sustainably
For	Against
the soil can be easily over-fertilized with organic composts

the soil can be easily over-fertilized with organic composts
For	Against
it is always difficult to know exactly how much nutrient is in the organic composts

the actual Fair Trade coffee movement is not ideal as itself suggests
For	Against
buying the Fair Trade coffee indeed supports the unfair market

buying the Fair Trade coffee indeed supports the unfair market
For	Against
Fair Trade will inevitably favor large companies over small ones many large companies who claim to be selling Fair Trade coffee are indeed not supporting the movement, but merely a strategic propaganda for business

Fair Trade will inevitably favor large companies over small ones
For	Against
large companies pay more licensing fees, which in turn allows for a wider marketing campaign

many large companies who claim to be selling Fair Trade coffee are indeed not supporting the movement, but merely a strategic propaganda for business
For	Against
e.g. Starbucks, who claims itself to be a supporter of Fair Trade, sells only a very small proportion of Fair Trade coffee (brew on customer's request only)	large companies are still the main buyers of the Fair Trade coffee

e.g. Starbucks, who claims itself to be a supporter of Fair Trade, sells only a very small proportion of Fair Trade coffee (brew on customer's request only)
For	Against
	Starbucks states they bought 4.5 million kilograms of Fair Trade coffee in 2005 (approximately 10% of global Fair Trade Certified™ coffee imports)

coffee drinkers may suffer from an increase in coffee price
For	Against
given the price floor set by Fair Trade, the cost of a coffee becomes more expensive, while coffee companies always want to retain their profits

Fair Trade coffee offers only a limited selection of coffee, unlike regular coffee which has a large selection from all over the world
For	Against
not many coffee farmers are committed to the Fair Trade system, and the certified are concentrated in Central and South America	the selection will increase if more people choose to purchase only Fair Trade coffee which would help expand the market for it

Fair Trade coffee has a lower quality
For	Against
there is no incentive for the growers to improve the quality of the beans since the price is guaranteed by the system	the greater access of growers to training and enhanced ability under Fair Trade helps improve the farming technology of coffee growers, so enhancing the quality

the production of Fair Trade coffee is economically inefficient
For	Against
the setting of price floor suggested by Fair Trade would worsen the root causes of poverty among coffee growers instead of helping them out	fair trade is a market-responsive model of trade: the farmers receive the Fairtrade minimum prices and premiums only if they have a buyer willing to pay social welfare systems are always economically inefficient, but socially necessary to ensure the observation of basic welfare needs of the individuals

the setting of price floor suggested by Fair Trade would worsen the root causes of poverty among coffee growers instead of helping them out
For	Against
setting a price floor will lead to overproduction the guaranteed floor price fails to move coffee growers to alternatives e.g. diversification or a change to growing another crop; as a way to alleviate poverty

setting a price floor will lead to overproduction
For	Against
theoretically, a price floor would keep the price above the optimum level, where quantity supplied exceeds quantity demanded, excess supply will prolong

the guaranteed floor price fails to move coffee growers to alternatives e.g. diversification or a change to growing another crop; as a way to alleviate poverty
For	Against
the price floor artificially covers up the fact that the coffee growers may not be growing something to their best advantage	there may be no alternative crop that pays more than regular market coffee prices