Peter Robbins is a British author whose published works include Stolen Fruit and a range of specialist books on related topics including precious metals markets, tropical commodity markets, trade sanctions, access to market information, and on support for rural communities. He was a commodities trader in the City of London for 30 years. He was able to retire from the business early and became a consultant to the United Nations on trade relations between African countries and multinational companies. He worked also as an advisor to the African National Congress on trade sanctions against apartheid. Since then he has worked for many development agencies on issues relating to agricultural trade policy and its impact on small scale farmers. In 1971 he brought together specialist British metal traders to form the Minor Metals Trade Association. He was a founder member and Chair of the World Gold Commission from 1988 to 1995. This anti-apartheid pressure group was successful in curtailing the import of newly mined South African gold into the United States, Italy and Britain. He was the founder member of the London Equality Group - an organisation which campaigns for the reduction of wealth and income inequality in London in 2010 and served as Chair of My Fair London until 2013. In 2014 Peter made a contribution to ideas in Neuroscience - Dirty Walls: An evolutionary theory of the dream function, which was published in the International Journal of Dream Research
Selected publications
Guide to Non-Ferrous Metals and their Markets – Guide to Precious Metals and their Markets – Trading in Metals – Gold and Post-Apartheid South Africa – Tropical Commodities and their Markets Review of market information systems in Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana and Zimbabwe Review of the impact of globalisation on the agricultural sectors and rural communities of ACP countries Design of market information systems for small-scale producers and traders in three districts of Uganda Stolen Fruit: The tropical commodities disaster Advice manual for the organisation of collective marketing activities by small-scale farmers Supply-side measures for raising low farm-gate prices of tropical beverage crops Commodity exchanges and smallholders in Africa Contributor to: After Apartheid – Renewal of the South African Economy The Sanctions Report Sanctioning Apartheid A Framework for Macroeconomic Policy in South Africa – Making Democracy Work Information for agricultural and rural development in ACP countries: emerging stakeholders, new media and priority themes Agricultural commodities, trade and sustainable development''
