People buying things try to get the lowest price they can, people selling things try to get the highest price they can.

Imagine this bar of chocolate costs £1, this is how much each person involved in chocolate trade gets:

Here, the farmer has to sell her or his cocoa beans at the lowest price because the chocolate company wants to buy the beans for the lowest price possible. The farmer does not get a fair price. The trading relationship is not equal.

This is unfair trade because the farmer does not get enough money to buy essential things and to care for her or his family properly ;o((

There is unfair trade with other products like oranges, bananas, tea, coffee, clothes, toys. The workers don’t get a fair wage and are not treated fairly. This means that people don’t have enough money to buy the things they need. Sometimes they can’t pay for a school uniform or school fees. They can’t pay to visit the doctor. Some grown ups are so poor because of unfair trade that their children have to work too.

Do you think that trade sounds like it is always fair?

Can you find examples of things that are fair and unfair in your life?

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