Carmel André Béliard, Minister of Agriculture, accompanied by Deputy Yves Dupras, Member of the Agricultural Committee of the Lower House and several Councilors of the Presidency carried out a 48-hours mission in the Dominican Republic.

This mission enabled Minister Béliard to meet his Dominican counterpart, Angel Estevez, as well as several farmers, entrepreneurs and agro-industrialists in the sector. Exchanges mainly focused on concrete initiatives to revitalize and modernize Haitian agriculture in order to ensure a positive impact on the incomes of agricultural workers, food security, the balance of imports and the growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Poultry farming, rice cultivation, support for livestock production, commercial agriculture, water control, agricultural innovations, strengthening of agricultural sectors and agro-industry were were the highlights of exchanges.

The Haitian delegation visited agricultural and poultry farms and a rice processing and processing plant to better understand what is driving agricultural development in the eastern part of the island.

At the end of the two days, a bilateral meeting was held between the two Ministers of Agriculture in the presence of the Haitian Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Idalbert Pierre-Jean and several officials of the Embassy. The purpose of the meeting was to create a bilateral Commission dedicated to strengthening cooperation relations : in agricultural production, phytosanitary control, agro-industrial processing, reforestation, soil conservation and capacity building of cross-border agricultural organizations.

HL/ HaitiLibre