Banana - Haiti Observer Blog

After a long gap of 60 years, Haiti has exported a shipment of bananas to Europe under a three year contract valuing €93 million, each year. In contrast, Haiti's next neighbor Dominican Republic, every year sends up to 350,000 MT of premium organic fruits, overseas.

Although these two nations share similar soil, same climate along with logistics and trade characteristics, Haiti's export of agricultural products were almost negligible. 'Agritrans SA' is a $27 million ambitious agricultural project attempting to establish a banana business in Haiti with modern agricultural equipment such as irrigation pumps, an artificial lake with 700.000 gallon capacity, tractors, etc.

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At this year's World Food Day in Haiti the theme was "Sustainable food systems at the service of food security and nutrition". Minister of Agriculture, Thomas Jacques, spoke on banana production, which has declined noticeably within the last two decades. The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture issued a report, citing banana production was under 450,000 metric tons by 2009. In 1999 banana production was 600,000 metric tons.

Bananas are one of the largest-volume exports Haiti has had in the past, and Jacques hopes for resurgence in banana production and consumption in the future. With funds available to up banana production, employment opportunities would increase and food insufficiency decrease.

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Thousands of people live in Carice, a remote town located in the Vallieres arrondissement in Haiti. According to statistics, the town has about 12,000 residents. Carice is a rural area without as many sources of livelihood as in cities and industrialized towns. This is why people rely on agriculture for their main livelihood. Farmers in the town mostly harvest mangoes, bananas and coffee, which are considered the main and most popular products in the area.

Though agriculture is the main source of livelihood in the town, deforestation is still common. As a matter of fact, deforestation affected the soil quality in the town. Despite this, however, the production of crops remains and continues to support people's livelihood.

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The town of Beaumont is located in Corail Arrondissement in Haiti's Grand'Anse department, deep in Haiti's Southern mountains. Haiti's President Michel Martelly went on a visit to Beaumont to look at how people live and how their living conditions can be improved. President Martelly plans to put more industries and population in the rural area so as to develop it. He believes that agriculture will improve Haiti. He thus thought of introducing production of yams, bananas and cassavas.

Production of yams, bananas and cassavas will greatly develop Beaumont in terms of creating jobs opportunities and also will improve Beaumont's economy. If the people of Beaumont agree to move from the urban areas and settle in the rural area where they will engage in farming, Beaumont will greatly develop and their living conditions will improve. Poverty is one of the greatest challenges facing Haiti and since there is enough land but people lack ideas on how to use it, President Michel thought of giving them the idea. The president was ready to support that farming if the people of Haiti were willing to develop.

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