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Haiti - Agriculture : Oxfam accuses the International Trade Policy
06/10/2010 10:38:48
The international organization Oxfam released its report "Planting Now: Agricultural challenges and opportunities for Haiti’s reconstruction". The agronomist Philippe Mathieu, director of Oxfam Haiti, called for an abandonment by the donor countries for their trade policy which is to subsidize certain consumables of which rice and for the elimination of the barriers to the export of the Haitian products.
"The international community must abandon these conflicting trade and aid polices in order to support the growth of Haiti’s fragile rural economy", said the director of Oxfam Haiti. Citing the example of subsidized rice from the United States while at the same time, the U.S. government invests in the development of national agricultural production in Haiti.
In its report, Oxfam says that "the exemption of the taxation of the Haitian products which enter on the US market would be one of measurements being able to help to fight effectively against poverty in Haiti". Oxfam also urges donor countries to finance the agricultural Haitian government estimated at 772 million.
Philippe Mathieu said that the international community has not yet expressed an interest to support this plan of agriculture. The plan is to put emphasis on improving infrastructure, increasing production and improving access to services in rural areas. He recalled that last January's earthquake has seriously affected the agricultural production sector in Haiti, which affects over 60% of the population, even before the quake, suffered from insufficient food production.
BF / HaitiLibre
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