ASOCACE was created in 2003 to represent the interests of the sugar cane producers before the sugar factory and to offer social and productive services to its members, such as the construction of a school, medical care or the repair of roads, bridges, etc., the provision of credit and savings (national banks are not reliable), or the collection of the product to sell it collectively and thus obtain a better price. Today it has more than 200 people.
Fairtrade is a potential addition, as it is not easy to raise funds for investments and projects. The Fairtrade Premium is the only source of capital on which cooperatives can work. Some of the projects developed with the Fairtrade Premium have been: the improvement of infrastructure (roads and bridge repairs), the improvement of the cooperative's equipment (a tractor that can be rented by members at a very low cost) and the possibility to offer them micro-credits.
Visit Asocace website