Improving local workers lives with fairer trade Castor oil

In the oil industry in India there are various parties involved in the supply chain. Producers work with local farmers who employ local workers. Farmers and their employees often earn a very low income, only have work in the season and employees often live in tents near the farm and don’t benefit from the profit that is made.

Organic oil

At Castor International, we work with a producer that is specialized in organic oil. The production is heavily controlled by the local certifying body, so products can be traced down to farm level. Therefore our producer works directly with approximately 540 farmers and their employees (2500 in total). All of them receive the following benefits:

• Farmers receive a fixed price for the seeds, making  them independent from market fluctuation. 
• All employees are full-time non-immigrant workers who have contracts for the entire year. 
• The profit is shared with all employees by non-financial benefits:
  • Training in producing vegetable and fruits for consumption and local markets. 
  • Education on unhealthy habits like drinking and smoking 
  • Technical equipment that makes life easier, such as solar cooking and bio gas units

Improving lives

Together with our customers, we would like to improve the lives of local farmers and workers in India. Therefore we choose to work with our local partner producing organic Castor oil and giving back to the local workers. If you would like to receive more information about our fairer trade Castor oil or meet our local partner, please contact your Sales Manager. 

Photo: Salvador Aznar / Shutterstock.com