9. Such debates are equally relevant in the case of promoting new areas of local production
for local markets, such as in dairy products.
Haitian farmers have the capacity to supply
the national milk market, if efforts were made to support small farmers involved in
producing raw milk and to build up the processing sector.
Studies show that local milk
production could be competitive and would save the country millions of dollars in foreign
exchange each year.
However, despite the interest in looking at this area, current milk
imports are huge and in direct competition with local producers so developing new local
market opportunities is extremely difficult.
As most of the milk imports are heavily
subsidised and come from Europe, it seems illogical that Haiti does not accord a
preference to local producers over European diary farmers, when this is potentially a
lucrative market where Haitian farmers and processors can flourish.
10. Any attempt to revitalise agriculture will have to address the severe level of environmental
degradation in the country.
Both are closely inter-dependant and must be urgently
addressed in a coherent manner.
Big investment is needed in Haiti's agricultural sector and, so far, there is very little real
political commitment to providing it. However, it is important that any agricultural development
policy is accompanied by a coherent trade framework.
Any efforts to increase national
production could easily be stymied without such planning.
If poor Haitian producers and
national productivity could benefit from a small tariff increase one of the simplest measures
the government could take to benefit the agricultural sector then to deny such a measure
would be very short-sighted.
Donor re-engagement in Haiti comes at a time where it is long overdue to repair the damage
done to the country.
However, the current outlook is not encouraging.
The World Bank is
declaring `governance' as the new focus for the international agenda in Haiti.
While good
background image
39
governance is of course a worthy and important goal, there is disappointment in many sectors
that the debate is framed in terms of governance and without a clear poverty reduction
agenda.
113
Does good governance not mean responding to the needs of the majority of your
citizens, who continue to live in grinding poverty? If so, where does the priority of agricultural
development sit within a so-called governance agenda?
In addition to debates emanating from the World Bank, the Interim Cooperation Framework,
which brings together all of the donors working with Haiti, has made only passing references
to agriculture.
Donors are declaring their intentions to pursue strategies that will increase
investment in free trade zones.
If no changes take place, Haiti is likely to see more of the
same tired recipes rather than a committed effort to addressing the real problems facing the
poor.
Posted by Lionne on 4/24/08 7:46 PM
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