Agriculture and Food

On Friday, March 13 2015, the Department of Quality Control and Consumer Protection (DCQPC) under the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MCI) celebrated 'the World Consumer Rights Day' with a series of conferences and debates aimed at raising awareness of the issues related to the need of healthy diets. During the occasion, Hervé Day, the Minister of Trade and Industry (MCI) delivered a speech mentioning the role and action of his Ministry for securing and protecting the legal rights of the consumers in the country. To guarantee quality food in correct measures to the consumers, the Haitian Bureau of Standards and Metrology has made several plans and for approval, the same have been submitted to the parliament. MCI would keep constant vigil on the distribution of consumer products to ensure compliance with the requirements for the labeling of prepackaged products and hygienic conditions. On May 23, 2012, President Martelly inaugurated a new sewage plant in Titanyen for supplying quality treated water to the people of Port-au-Prince and its surroundings. For the last two years, MCI with supports from DCQPC, has established 10 departmental federations of associations for consumers so that from a close proximity, they can monitor the standard and quality of goods and services offered. Further, they are raising the awareness among the consumers about the improved and effective patterns of consumption, considering the protection of the environment and social justice.

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The opening of the first Marriot Hotel in Haiti is an important milestone in the Haitian history. The journey began four years ago when Denis O'Brien, the founder and chairman of the telecom giant Digicel Group, the largest Caribbean's mobile phone service provider, decided to invest $45 million in building Marriott Port-au-Prince Hotel that presently employs about 200 Haitians, 96% of its total staff strength. The hotel exhibits an incredible collection of Haitian art throughout the property. The hotel buys their requirement as much as possible from the local markets, like items ranging from decor, bath products, foods and beverage. There were a lot of good hotels in Haiti but what it needed to help Haiti rebuild its tourism industry after the devastating 2010 earthquake was a multinational brand. The 175-room property in Port-au-Prince was opened to the guest on February 24th, this year.

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The Tide Turning for Haiti's Ailing Environment. Haiti's environment has suffered an extreme degree of deterioration, nearly unparalled globally. Once blanketed with virgin forests, its canopy only covers 4% of its land mass today. Without forest protection and seasonal heavy rains, topsoil gets sloughed off, creating flood conditions.

Haiti's agriculture sector is one of its largest, and should be the mainstay of the country's economy, but many factors, historical, social, political, and environmental have undermined its ability to thrive. Haiti at one time was the #1 exporter of coffee, and also exported enormous amounts of sugar cane. Global competition in both areas priced them out of the market.

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Griot is a Haitian staple, and there is also a certain level of mystery to its preparation as the unsuspecting wonder about the pleasant, undefinable aftertaste from the fried pork dish.

Serving the Haitian Griot on Thanksgiving would definitely leave a memorable taste to some of your guests, specially if they have not tasted the Haitian Griot before.

Now how do you make a good Haitian griot to serve on Thanksgiving

The trick, it seems, is in the sour orange and the salt used to treat the pork during preparation. Oranges are halved and then squeezed, the juice saved, and then the halves are rubbed on the salted meat. After this soaks in, the meat is washed and then boiled in an assortment of spices before being fried.

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The Foundation for the Development of Chardonnieres has, for the 3rd consecutive year, arranged the Festival of Grape of Chardonnieres in the Southern Department. In general, this function is meant to market national traditions. It is also targeted at reviving the domestic growing of grapes and highlighting Chardonnieres. This event took place over a week from the 23rd to the 28th of July, 2014. This event was be supported by Knowledge and Freedom Foundation (FOKAL).

What does the festival offer?

The President of Fodech, Alix Denis Hibarts, who is also a member and organizer of the festival promised and delivered the following activities at the festival:
• Lectures had been offered

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Genetically modified (GM) foods have been part of the food supply chain since 1994. They have stirred up controversy, especially against one of its manufacturers, Monsanto. Critics of GM foods point to studies conducted on animals that show GM foods change metabolic rates, cause inflammation, kidney and liver malfunction, and impaired fertility. In one experiment, hamsters were given a GM soy diet. They bred at normal rates for the first two generations, but by the third breeding rates dropped about 50%, in comparison to the non-GM soy control group.

Another distressing problem for allergy sufferers' concerns transfer of genes occurring between plants issuing from allergic proteins like peanuts or wheat surfacing in random foods such as sugar or soy. But a Monsanto representative assures critics seed storehouses use high-tech equipment to analyze the seed genome. On the other hand, when modifying a seed genome, it is not always a fail-safe method, and the outcomes not guaranteed. One example is the chance new allergens will be produced.

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Charlie Bowen is a resident of Maryville. For the past three years, he has been raising his family using products from hydroponics. Hydroponics is a water-based method of producing some farm products. However, currently he is trying to get into aquaponics. Aquaponic is hydroponics combined with fish farming. It has a mutual benefit to both the fish and the farm products. They help each other while growing, since fish will provide the manure while the plants give fish food.

Lonia is an adopted daughter of Bowen, from Haiti. She comes from a family of four in Haiti, and she is the inspiration for Bowen to start aquaponics. Bowen and his wife Teresa adopted Lonia when she was 11 months old when a medical condition that she had meant that she couldn't live with her family. Therefore, Bowen adopted her so that she could receive medical treatment in Maryville.

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February 7, 1986 will forever remain a historic day in Haiti. It was on that day that Jean Claude Duvalier dove with his family in their Mercedes to the airport where a pre-arranged US government flight took them to Paris for exile. The cause of his ousting from power was a combination of several issues: the deepening of poverty in Haiti, corruption and a lavish lifestyle initiated by the new First Lady, Michele Bennett.

While life was beautiful at the National Palace in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian population was falling deeper and deeper into poverty. The biggest single event that caused the population to be fed up with the government was the eradication of Creole pig.

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The Minister of Agriculture came out to declare himself highly concerned by the statements of one of the leaders of Mouvman Peyizan Papaya (MPP) that encouraged farmers to take action, affirming that it is time to use their machetes in order to attack government officials.

The controversy was minimized, as Thomas Jaques, declared that those statements went against republican values and the democratic ideals pursued by all civilized people. He called an incitement to hatred as obsolete in today's Haitian society. The result is still to be awaited. For this is not the first time that that Mouvman Peyizan Papay invites to direct action, the peasants of Haiti.

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Some are talking about Rhum Barbancourt, other think that it is manufacture. The sad thing is that many of us don't know that we are the number one producer of vetiver in the world. I am not talking just about Vetiver. We have been producing one of the most prized essential oils for high-end perfumes.

They Oil made from the Haiti vetiver is one of the best found in the entire world. It smell very good. The fragrance industry however gets it for close to nothing.

The distillation of vetiver's aromatic is the base of famous fragrances sold by Chanel, Guerlain, Estee Lauder, Christian Dior and Hermès.

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