Haiti the breadbasket of the world
Jean Charles
Haiti was and is potentially the bread basket of the world.
By Jean H Charles
The reputation of Haiti as the bread basket of the world is well established. Alone she contributed three quarters of the French budget during colonial time in the 1700’s. As such, the British and the Spanish rivaled with the French to take control of that precious island. An indigenous leader Toussaint Louverture and later Jean Jacques Dessalines with the superiority of might and insight succeeded to outmaneuver all three powers to lead Haiti into independence.
Such independence was still born, because the example of a free black nation in the middle of a global world order of slavery was not sustainable. France extracted an indemnity in the billions, compromising the nation building project in terms of infrastructure and institutions. The Nations of the world conspired to destabilize the country. His own nationals did the rest to make Haiti the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
Haiti (with the exception of the golden age 1946-1956) lost 80 years since 1946 to 2026 to march in tandem with civilization. There was 30 years of dictatorship under the Duvalier, and another 40 years of illiberal, corrupt and incompetent governments after the Duvalier.
Incidentally one of the most cherished Haitian government Dumarsais Estime has put the final nail in the promotion of wealth within the rural population which represent 85% of the population.
They were going gradually richer with their organic banana sold directly to Standard Fruit when Estime close that open market and replaced it with a monopoly to selected politicians. Within six months the golden goose took a nose drive and the export of Haitian organic bananas is closed until today, sixty years later.
Another nail has been put by Bill Clinton as he was preparing Jean Bertrand Aristide to return to power in Haiti. In a meeting at the White House the marching order was agriculture was for Mexico, textile was for Haiti. It is still the marching order in a country where 85% of the population is engaged solely in agriculture.
The infrastructure of the project is very simple. While the gangs control 90% of the capital, the rest of the country in particular, the North, the South, the Grand’Anse of Haiti are rather safe for investment. We can have a cargo plane departing from Les Cayes and Cap Haitian every night transporting the fruits, the spice and the produce of Haiti to the best supermarkets of the world. In the North the industrial park of Caracol that was dedicated to textile can easily be converted to receive the agricultural produce for cleaning and packaging for abroad.
The peasants are already organized into cooperatives they need only the help of the UN agricultural agency to have water and seeds and they would do what they have been doing for centuries producing the best fruits and produce that will make the delight of the food aficionados.
The calendar of the fruit and produce in season in Haiti is the following:
Winter: oranges, including sour oranges, Guinean peas. Baby banana, coffee, banana.
Spring: cherimoya, banana, soursop,
Summer: mangoes, passion fruit, giant apricot, banana, pineapple, starfruit.
Autumn: avocado, kenepa, baby banana, cocoa
Haiti just need a major importer who will invest in 10 million people who are hard worker, resilient, and innovative. As such, Haiti will become not only the pearl of the Antilles as it was for 400 years but it will cease to be a failed nation with all its people enjoying to stay in their beautiful country.
By the way Haiti is also a potential instrument of wealth that can be the darling of the investment funds. The government owns 90% of the land of the country. It is a nation of mountains beyond mountains. Filling those mountains with precious hard wood like mahogany and cedar will transform the country into a nation where the green gold rivals with the black gold of the Middle East.
Jean H Charles LLB, MSW, JD was a presidential candidate in the election of 2016. He can be reached at jeanhc...@aol.com