Since November, Haiti has held several meetings in Washington as part of the renewal of the HOPE II Act (Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership for Encouragement) which expires in 2018 and the extension of the act HELP (Haiti Economic Lift Program) which expires in 2020.

Recall that the HOPE Act allows the United States to import duty-free a quota of garments from Haiti, regarding the HELP Act it aims to extend it until 2020, HOPE I and II passed in 2008.

Haiti in these meetings looking for maximum support for the renewal of the HOPE II Act but also the extension of the HELP act from 2020 for another 10 years. Bill that will be introduced on January 12, by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL).

Moreover, Haiti has received a good news last December concerning the increase of its export quota of textiles, which increases by more than 10 million m2 from 322,629,971 m2 in 2013 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-10134-haiti-economy-new-limit-for-apparel-exports-from-haiti.html à 332,915,916 m2 pour 2014, according to an email sent to Carl-Frédéric Madsen, President of the Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH), by Maria Dybczak, of the Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) which reminds and precise "HOPE provides for duty-free treatment for certain apparel articles imported directly from Haiti. One of the preferences under HOPE is known as the - value-added - program, which requires that apparel meet a minimum threshold percentage of value added in Haiti [...] The program is subject to a quantitative limitation, which is calculated as a percentage of total apparel imports into the United States for each 12-month annual period.

For the annual period from December 20, 2014 through December 19, 2015, the quantity of imports eligible for preferential treatment under the value-added program is 332,915,916 square meters equivalent. A notice announcing the new quota level has been published in today’s Federal Register [...]"

Note that according to Carl Frederick Madsen, from January 2014 to September 2014, total employment in the textile industry increased from 32.655 (including 26.052 thanks to HOPE) to 36,340 (including 27,741 thanks to HOPE).

SL/ HaitiLibre