Industry - Haiti Observer Blog

Haiti will soon become a cement manufacturer once again. With an investment of 300 Million US dollars by both international and Haitian investors, a brand new cement plant called Siman Lakay will be constructed in the locality "La Pierre", in Gonaives. This new cement plant is expected to both reduce our dependency on import and also create jobs. Siman Lakay will have a capacity to produce about 2 million tons of cement per year and create more than 2,200 jobs in the long term.

A 35-megawatt power plant will be built to run the new cement plant and provide electricity to a new village that will be built in the area for the 2,500 employees of the plant. Construction is expected to begin on January 13, 2016.

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On Thursday, December 17, 2015, Haitian President Michel Martelly, participated in the official opening of the first Haitian Industrial Shoemaking Factory at the Boulevard Toussaint Louverture (Airport Road). This high technology shoe factory is a creation from the initiative of JL Fine Shoes S.A. to contribute and revitalize Haitian economy through domestic production by feeding local consumption. As a token for encouragement, President Martelly has offered SurTab tablet to each employee of the company which would be given to them after successful completion of required training to join the factory. The factory would create immediate employment of 150 personnel, and within the next 2 years it expects to offer 1,200 permanent jobs.

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A report from the Workers' Rights Consortium, the WRC, has shamed Canadian garment company, Gildan Activewear into committing to pay each laborer at their Haitian based factories at least the $7.22 prescribed by the Caribbean country as the minimum wage to be earned by any worker.

The Montreal-based company has suffered weeks of bad pressed following reports by the WRC that its production of college-logo apparel was being made on the backs of people who sometimes were not paid enough to provide themselves with food.

Labeled, 'Stealing from the Poor: Wage Theft in the Haitian Apparel Industry,' the report documented interviews with workers from 5 of the 24 factories in the country. They found and revealed that the average worker was paid a wage that was 32% less than what is stipulated by law. According to the report, these workers were often locked in at the facilities until all work was completed and were without access to health care, were under-fed and had debts that couldn't possibly be met as an average of seven weeks' worth of pay was being siphoned away from them each year.

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In late December 2010, the Jamaica Broilers unveiled plans to open an operation in Haiti for the production of chicken and chicken by-products to meet the growing need, made more dominant by the earthquake earlier that year, in the Haitian market for protein. Haitian Broilers was born shortly after, a US$2-$3 million dollar project.

In its initial stages, the venture was a partnership with a Haitian entity which saw the country receive feed from Jamaica and chicks from the United States. Described as a mission for gathering information, the company's vice-president, Donald Patterson, has recently said that the now, positively successful venture has surpassed the beginning stages of JA broilers at a corresponding time in its infancy.

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The Haitian HOPE (Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement) Act of 2006 (also known as HOPE I) was enforced on 6th Dec 2006. As a part of this Act, exports of certain Haiti-made apparels to U.S. were made tariff-free. The intention was to attract investment in apparel industry with the underlying plan being development and economic growth. The condition was that only those apparels will be made duty free whose raw materials were imported by Haiti from any country provided, a part of the sourced material must come from a country that is a part of U.S. Unilateral Preferential Trade Arrangement. Apart from this, Haiti was also required to establish:

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Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Wilson Laleau, attended the ceremony of the installation of SONAPI's new Director General, that was held at the headquarters of SONAPI (National Society of Industrial Parks) located at the Metropolitan Industrial Park. Mr. Bernard Schettini was appointed as the new Director General in place of Mr. Georges Barreau Sassine. Honorary Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Wilson Laleau presented a speech during the installation ceremony in which he said that SONAPI is the institution that should be regulating, promoting and looking after the development of industrial parks throughout Haiti.

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Haiti is known for several industries in the global market, especially in terms of agriculture and tourism. But only a few know of the country's garment and apparel industry which is slowly growing with the help of the United States government.

The U.S. government has recently launched a U.S. trade preference with Haiti in order to promote the country's apparel industry. Haiti was able to export about 18 million dollars' worth of apparel to the United States on a duty-free provision for most of 2012, a highly significant increase as compared to previous trades years back. According to the U.S. Government's Accountability Office in a recent report, local apparel firms in Haiti have been receiving more credits which can be received through utilizing U.S.-made fabric and other related materials in exchange with the United States being granted with duty-free trade preferences.

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Haitian American Sugar Company, SA (HASCO) was one of the largest refineries in Haiti. It operated from 1912 to 1987, making it the country's oldest sugar refinery at that time. HASCO was an American business venture aimed at producing and selling sugar and other sweet products in Haiti, as well as in the United States. It was owned by Charles Steinham, Franck Copay and John Christie, who registered the company with $5 million in capital.

HASCO's operation in Haiti was not always smooth. As a matter of fact, it was affected by a political turmoil in the country in 1915. Like other American businesses in the country, HASCO reeled from the effects of the country's political challenges. Such challenges posed danger to foreign ventures in the country and it was believed to have been the cause of the U.S. marine invasion in 1915. The U.S. occupation lasted for 19 years.

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The job market is expected to be booming in Haiti in a relatively short period of time. If you are able and willing to work, you will be able to find job in Haiti.

The "Haitian Joudalist" learned that South Korea, The United States and the World Bank just signed an agreement to created at least 10,000 jobs in Haiti in the garment manufacturing industry. The Korean clothing producing company, Sae-A will create a brand new industrial park in Haiti just for this operation.

We are looking at Haiti in the near future to become one of the leading exporters of clothing products for the world. The Haitian government is in the planning phase of constructing this new industrial park. It is expected to be located in the North, close to the capital. New port and roads will be built to facilitate transportation.

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