Oh, that everything "distorts" markets... Except for the wealthy and powerful dominating trade on their own terms?
I can't rid myself of the impression that, if producers were getting, not 10%, but just 1 or 2% more for their products through an "undistorted" market system, we'd be hearing a lot about how global free trade with added trickle-down is "lifting millions from poverty".
the best ways to respond to the accusation are to (1) make verification thorough, (2) provide evidence that fair-trade producers, even if they are only getting 10%, are still getting significantly more than what they would otherwise get through "free trade", and (3) convert as much as the supply chain from "free trade" to "fair trade", and do it verifiably. Point n'est besoin d'espérer pour entreprendre, ni de réussir pour persévérer. - Charles le Téméraire
