§ Lord Harrisonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to encourage the supermarket chains in the United Kingdom to stock fair-trade chocolates using cocoa from countries such as Ghana. [HL489]
§ Baroness AmosThe Secretary of State for International Development has today laid before both Houses a Departmental Minute on a £400,000 contingent liability which the Department for International Department has entered into.
Under this arrangement DfID will extend its guarantee on a commercial loan to the Day Chocolate Company, a fair trade company partly owned by the Kuapa Kokoo cocoa co-operative. This marketing channel provides co-operative members with direct benefits in the form of fair prices and community-level 169WA projects. This is the first use of the power to provide financial assistance by way of a guarantee under the International Development Act 2002.