As part of the implementation of the document "National School Feeding Policy and Strategy (PSNAS)" adopted in 2016, the Ministry of National Education is increasing its efforts to strengthen and extend the canteen schools program focused on the purchase of local agricultural products.

Recently Nesmy Manigat the Minister of National Education, accompanied by Conne Cathala Resident Representative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Haiti and Jean-Martin Bauer Resident Representative of the World Food Program (WFP), made a tour of evluaton in the Nippesq in the Nippes, an evaluation tour of the Centers set up to facilitate the reception and distribution of these products in schools.

Manigat started this tour with a visit to the Fonds-des-Nègres weighing and packaging center where food dedicated to the canteens of a first group of schools located in Nippes is received, processed and bagged, but also schools in Petit-Goâve, Grand-Goâve and Léogane, in the West department.

Depending on the season, it can be rice, beans, corn flour, millet, sweet potato, plantain, yam, sweet cassava, carrot, cabbage, eggplant, etc... Another center based in Mussote, near Paillant, carries out the same activities targeting another group of schools.

In total, these local products are regularly sent to 198 schools welcoming approximately 55,000 students.

The PAM manages to operate these two centers thanks to the partnership developed with the Network of Organizations of Agricultural Producers of Nippes (ROPANIP) which brings together 54 agricultural organizations from 10 municipalities in this department, mobilizing a little more than 2,000 producers.

Minister Nesmy Manigat is delighted with the establishment and operation of this multi-institutional collaboration mechanism and wishes to extend this mechanism to other Departmental Directorates of Education (DDE).

At these two packaging centers, the products are subject to quality control including in particular the analysis of the humidity level, the degree of homogeneity of the grains, the percentage of brokenness or impurity and the instrumental measurement and sensory odors. This control is subsequently repeated in the food depots of school establishments.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18172-haiti-politic-launch-of-the-sectoral-table-school-feeding.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-28664-haiti-social-43-000-students-will-receive-school-meals-with-100-local-products.html

HL/ HaitiLibre