As part of the program "Ede-PEP" established by the Government Martelly-Lamothe, the Ministry Delegate to the Prime Minister in charge of promoting the peasantry (MDPP) together with the Ministry of Human Rights and the fight against extreme poverty, held this week at the Hotel Le Plaza, a workshop reflections, a ttended by various representatives of peasant organizations from the ten departments of the country, of organizations of peasant growers, producers and suppliers and other sectors involved in the production and consumption of food products, such as the Ministry of Agriculture, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Food (FAO).

Find a better strategy to facilitate the purchase and sale of local products was the center of themes of this meeting. Marie Mimose Félix, the Minister Delegate in charge of promoting the peasantry, explained that this workshop was organized to consider among other things, the ability to create of purchasing centers of local products in different regions of the country, to promote local production and combat food insecurity.

Ms. Félix said she is aware of the problems faced by the agricultural sector, citing the lack of accompanying of peasant-growers, the problems of inputs and irrigation and assured the participants that the government is currently working on the revival of the agriculture in the country.

The Minister Félix, assured that the Government deploying various strategies to support producers in the short term, citing among other things, that each month, the Government purchases at least 100 tons of local productsfor the achievement of its social programs including "basket solidarity and the school canteen," noting that of international organizations including WFP, have the same approach.

It encourages the purchase of local products stating that "[...] To encourage domestic production, we must also change our habits and buy what is produced domestically."

Intervening on the food security and agricultural production, agricultural engineer Gary Mathieu, of the "National Coordination of Food Security" (CNSA) insisted on the main obstacles hindering the real revival of agricultur "Family farming practiced in Haiti, operating without any study of exploitation, in which labor is familial, in which the cultivated land are fragmented, reduced crop yields, undermining the consumption and promotes food insecurity," adding that "the problem of food security is primarily a problem of money but also of product quality [...]"

Michel Chancy, Secretary of State for animal production has eleborated on a list of problems such as the question of the legal framework, the issue of taxation, quality and quantity, irrigation, problems related to processing and conservation.

According to the participants, food security, agricultural production and the current situation of the sale of local products constitute of elements to improve to facilitate the development of Haitian agricultural products.

During the workshop it was also question of the structuring of different farmers' associations, and their ways of funding for the purchase of inputs and seeds.

HL/ HaitiLibre