On Friday, November 29, a Grant Agreement for the Food Assistance Project (KR) 2019 was signed between the Haitian State represented by Bocchit Edmond, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Government of Japan represented Mizuno Mitsuaki, Ambassador accredited in Haiti.

Under this Project, the Government of Japan will make available to the Government of Haiti a total of 400 million Japanese Yen, or approximately US $3.6 million (US $ 3,652,400), for the purchase of rice, which will be sold at preferential prices by the Office of Monetization of Development Assistance Programs (BMPAD) in order to stabilize the local market and contribute to the food security of the Haitian people. The funds generated by the sale of this rice will be used to finance bilateral cooperation projects.

Today, 3.67 million people face major socio-economic challenges and acute food insecurity, and need food assistance. Given this situation and in response to the request of the Government of Haiti, the Japanese Government has decided through this grant to support the strengthening of food security in Haiti while accompanying the Haitian Government in its efforts to increase agricultural products through the training of technicians and the supply of agricultural equipment.

Recall that in the context of food security, Japanese cooperation is upstream and downstream :

Upstream, this Assistance Project allows in the short term to temporarily but necessarily mitigate the dangerous effects of food insecurity on the most vulnerable.

Downstream and with longer-term results, agricultural equipment such as agricultural tractors arriving at the earliest in September 2020 as part of the "Program for Economic and Social Development", signed between the two governments in October 2018, and also with technical assistance provided through the project of capacity building of planters "PROAMOH I and II", set up since 2010 and still in progress.

HL/ HaitiLibre