Vernet Joseph, the Minister of Agriculture, accompanied by two members of his cabinet and his Director General, held a meeting with the French Ambassador to Haiti, Antoine Michon, who was accompanied by Ms. Radhia Oudjani, Director of the AFD...

Vernet Joseph, the Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development, accompanied by two members of his cabinet and his Director General Élancié Moïse, held a meeting on Friday, September 27, 2024, with the French Ambassador to Haiti, Antoine Michon, who was accompanied by Ms. Radhia Oudjani, Director of the French Development Agency (AFD) in Haiti and Vincent Hommeril, Advisor for Cooperation and Cultural Action.

The review of the AFD portfolio and the statement of a set of perspectives formed the backdrop of this meeting.

The following were discussed in particular:

- The Irrigation Support Project in the South (PAIS) producing satisfactory results in irrigated areas;

- Initiatives relating to activities to improve food security in the North, support for the school canteen program and support for the World Food Program (WFP) were highlighted by the Ambassador as flagship actions of the AFD.

Minister Vernet Joseph succinctly presented his vision of the agricultural sector, broken down into two major challenges:

1 - Improving food security by limiting the increase in the number of people in food insecurity, which has increased from 1 to 5 million in 4 years. In this respect, the Minister invited the AFD to support the Ministry's flagship initiative focused on the development of the cassava sector, due to its potential for improving food and nutritional security and, on the other hand, to contribute to economic growth through penetration of the foreign market.

2 - Economic growth, through a better contribution of the agricultural sector to national wealth.

The Minister relied on a hybrid approach that aims at both support for the production of consumer goods and significant investments to support export sectors (mangoes, coffee, cocoa).

At the end of this meeting, the Minister and the Ambassador agreed:

- To organize a technical meeting to address, among other things, the problem of the "Levekafe" project implemented in the North, Center, and Southeast, which is underperforming, to discuss the priority sectors of the Ministry and especially the conduct of a prospective mission with the agricultural department of the AFD;

- Undertake a mission to supervise the activities of the PAIS project in the South, with the participation of Minister Joseph and Ambassador Michon;

- Explore other sectors such as fishing, rightly considered by the Minister as a major lever for development, with enormous potential characterized by a long coastline, i.e. 9 out of 10 departments. From this point of view, the Minister expressed the wish that maritime professions develop with a view to enhancing maritime potential by promoting industrial and semi-industrial fishing, which is beneficial for the national economy.

HL/ HaitiLibre