Whoever wrote this actually did their research. The answers seem so simple yet so difficult to achieve.
Yes, I was impressed by this article.
Here's my take on this article and issue as a whole:
You have 4 parties involved in Haitian Rice:
1. Haitian Consumers.
2. Haitian Rice Farmers.
3. Haitian Government
4. NGO.
!. Haitians consumers (just like every other consumer in the world) wants to buy its rice at the lowest price.
Clinton handed them the golden egg when he allowed USA rice to be imported at subsidized prices.
Haitian consumers are paying $22 USD's for 55 lbs of rice.
That's much, much, less than US consumers pay even though we have more buying power and better logistics.
Hands down; a winner for the Haitian consumer!
Thanks to Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama!
Because of Clinton and gang, many more Haitians are able to afford rice than before the US imports.
(This was shown in the past with charts here on Haitix.)
2. Haitian Farmers.
I have shown that they still produce the same amount of rice they did 20 years ago although the consumption of Haitian rice has expanded dramatically (Thanks to Bill Clinton, imports, etc.).
But, the price has dropped, as rice farmers around the world became much more efficient than their Haitian counterpart.
Haitians farmers have no mechanization, no infrastructure, tiny plots of land, little education, no co-ops, and must hand plant, harvest, and distribute their rice over impassable roads.
They are in the stone age.
Their rice therefore contains more "grit" than other rice from around the world and is much more expensive because they have no access to electrical power to clean their rice or infrastructure to distribute it.
Consumers do not like to bite into rock/grit while eating rice, and therefore prefer American rice which has used infrastructure to rid their rice of rocks/grit.
Haitian farmers are demanding that Haitian consumers pay double the price for their rice even though Haiti is one of the poorest Nations in the world and their rice is "gritty".
Since they have no co-ops or educated personnel, they don not realize that "Artibonite" or "Madam Gougousse" is considered a "premium" label on the world market and has been stolen by Thailand and India for their own benefit.
They do not realize (given the above) that organic, hand harvested, agri products have a niche following that is willing to pay premium prices for it.
They do not understand that the premium market on the international stage is their market and not the poor Haitian peasant.
3. The Haitian Government (Martelly) has not provided them with the necessary infrastructure to market their premium, organic, rice product on the international stage.
The Haitian Gov't (Martelly) has done nothing to develop co-ops to market this rice product and have allowed Thailand and India to steal their trade names without recourse.
The Haitian Gov't has done nothing to oppose the repressive marketing campaigns of the NGO (see below) to force Haitian consumers to buy Haitian rice at absurdly high prices .
4. The NGO headed by Bill Clinton and Paul Farmer are now 100% behind the Haitian Farmer and opposed to the Haitian consumer even though Clinton spearheaded the imported rice effort.
Why? Why has Clinton done a 180 degree turn against the Haitian consumer?
Because the NGO smell a chance to make millions off of their promotional campaign that pits the: "Evil US Gov't vs. poor Haitian Farmer."
Go to any NGO web site (Partners in Health) and you'll see how they are 100% behind the farmer even though it will hurt the consumer.
So they have a promotional campaign in which they side with the "little guy" vs Big Gov't.
They also have a chance at hundred of millions of USDs in "consulting studies" on how to help the Haitian farmer.
So the rice issue, (even though the chief NGO guy (Clinton) started it) sees dollars signs before their eyes.
Clinton did a 180 degree turn becuase it met more MONEY for the NGOs in 2012.
There has already been many multi-million dollar contracts to study Haitian rice farming handed out to Demcorat Party loyalists and many more to come.
Haitians have benefited tremendously from American rice.
Thats not correct Gunner. You said yourself that the price is lower in Haiti than the US. That is called "dumping" and is highly illegal but nobody does anything so it keeps happening. In the long run the country being dumped on will be hurt by it.
Haitians have benefited tremendously from American rice.
Thats not correct Gunner. You said yourself that the price is lower in Haiti than the US. That is called "dumping" and is highly illegal but nobody does anything so it keeps happening. In the long run the country being dumped on will be hurt by it.
The price is lower, and its a huge advantage for the Haitian consumer.
For once, Haitian Nationals catch a break and can feed their families a nutritious meal of rice which was unavailable to them years ago.
That is a HUGE benefit for them. Huge!
Haitian farmers continue to produce rice at 100% capacity, just as they did before the USA imports.
The problem is not the imports, but the lack of infrastructure and mechanization to make the farmers competitive on the world stage.
Do not starve Haitian consumers because Haitian farming operates in the stone age.
It's cost structure is outrageous and is not even close to being capable of being used as a benchmark for anti-dumping regulations.
Rice is a sustenance product unlike a TV or pair of designer jeans.
Regarding "dumping", I guess the "Aid The Poor" industry is dumping every time they send food stuffs to Haiti or any other country.
In those cases, the product often arrives free of charge.
I guess China is "dumping" in the USA with their $60 billion worth of goods each month.
The USA textile industry is GONE because of Asian imports.
But, the masses are better clothed than before the Chinese imports.
There are many industries that have left the USA because of their inability to compete with Chinese prices (dumping as you put it).
But, the consumer has benefited from greater selection at lower prices, thereby creating a higher standard of living.
International trade has dramatically RAISED the standard of living in the USA especially amongst the poorer class.
It has not hurt as you propose but raised the base level of what we call "poverty" in the USA
Haitian farming, is sustenance farming for the particular family growing on their tiny plot of land.
Haitian farmers have always been a very dirt poor lot of people. Now, just as 20+ years ago.
Dirt poor because of the factors listed above and not because of imports.
Land ownership needs to be clarified and all squatter farmers need to be removed from their illegal activities.
That would eliminate at least 80% of the 9,700 squatter farmers.
Acreage needs to be combined into large scale rice farming that is highly mechanized.
That will lead to a competitive state for Haiti's rice industry.
Haitians have benefited tremendously from American rice.
Thats not correct Gunner. You said yourself that the price is lower in Haiti than the US. That is called "dumping" and is highly illegal but nobody does anything so it keeps happening. In the long run the country being dumped on will be hurt by it.
Regarding "dumping", I guess the "Aid The Poor" industry is dumping every time they send food stuffs to Haiti or any other country.
Haitians have benefited tremendously from American rice.
Thats not correct Gunner. You said yourself that the price is lower in Haiti than the US. That is called "dumping" and is highly illegal but nobody does anything so it keeps happening. In the long run the country being dumped on will be hurt by it.
Regarding "dumping", I guess the "Aid The Poor" industry is dumping every time they send food stuffs to Haiti or any other country.
Yes it is
So what is your point?
In 1980, only 60 mt's of rice was consumed, and in 2008, 420 mt's was consumed.
What's wrong with that?
Haitians are not starving because of the rice imports.
You stop the imports, and Haiti will go back to 60 mt's of super high priced rice and starvation will set in.
"Protectionism" for a tiny country of 10 million is a horrible economic path to follow.
And what should be the benchmark "price" for imported rice?
What the stone age farmers charge?
How can a society advance with that type of thinking.
Haitians have benefited tremendously from American rice.
Thats not correct Gunner. You said yourself that the price is lower in Haiti than the US. That is called "dumping" and is highly illegal but nobody does anything so it keeps happening. In the long run the country being dumped on will be hurt by it.
Regarding "dumping", I guess the "Aid The Poor" industry is dumping every time they send food stuffs to Haiti or any other country.
Yes it is
So what is your point?
Go back to the regional average on tariffs. Which would bring a substantial amount of money because of all the rice Haiti consumes. Use that money directly to invest in Haiti agriculture to build capacity-not just rice production.
Haitians have benefited tremendously from American rice.
Thats not correct Gunner. You said yourself that the price is lower in Haiti than the US. That is called "dumping" and is highly illegal but nobody does anything so it keeps happening. In the long run the country being dumped on will be hurt by it.
Regarding "dumping", I guess the "Aid The Poor" industry is dumping every time they send food stuffs to Haiti or any other country.
Yes it is
Go back to the regional average on tariffs. Which would bring a substantial amount of money because of all the rice Haiti consumes. Use that money directly to invest in Haiti agriculture to build capacity-not just rice production.
I think you are forgetting about the "poverty" issue in Haiti.
If you drive up the price of rice, this WILL happen again:
The government should not be trying to squeeze "blood from a turnip" but forging policies and strategies that allow for Haitian rice to be exported at higher prices.
The answer to Haiti's revenue dilemma cannot be answered on the backs of Haitian peasants.
On a side note, look at this map of rice production in Arkansas
You will note that the rice land is on the eastern portion of Arkansas and that's because it's part of the Mississippi flood plain where it is stone flat and easy to channel water.
The Artibonite is much more challenging and requires water from Peligre Dam to keep it wet.
Hardly what you would think the Green environmentalists would be championing!
But they see dollar signs in consulting contracts so they're 100% pro-environmental destruction.
