For every Haitian to have the right to participate in the economic and political governance of the country,
for they may produce, eat and use their right on food sovereignty
The struggle of farmers in the eighties to send away Dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier, resulted in a mass movement in the nineties. However, all claims of farmers have remained dead letter up to today.
The neo-liberal government, through its Minister of Agriculture Philippe Mathieu, has cut all fertiliser subsidies. Today, a bag of fertiliser costs about 1500 gourdes. The Boniface-Latortue Government is a champion in applying dictates of the IMF and the World Bank and in selling the country’s resources to foreign companies. This government, with its CCI project and with its current model for elections, is boycotting once more the rural masses.
We denounce this neo-liberal political system that moves aside all farmer rights to:
– participate actively in the political and economical governance of their country
– produce the food needed by the population to eliminate hunger and malnutrition
– guarantee a sustainable food security for all
– guarantee the preservation of popular culture within daily nutrition
We say no to all foreign food, shoes and cloths that invade the Haitian territory. We disapprove that the government takes the people’s money through taxes in order to pay its debts.
We claim:
1. A mechanism that allows the population to give its ideas for every decision taken by the government.
2. That the government makes T&S RICE SA to leave the country and breaks the contract.
3. That the government hurries to give the ODVA all means to save the farmers of the Grand Saline zone that is completely under water.
4. The return of the fertiliser subsidy program with organic fertiliser production.
5. More money out of the national budget to support the national production.
6. A sovereignty law that allows us to define our own development model to follow.
In these circumstances, we ask everyone to:
1. continue to struggle against the transnational companies, against GMO products, and to fight to protect and manage nature and to save the farmers’ agriculture.
2. stay mobilised because the great power blocks use our country to arrange their own affairs.
3. stay united to help farmers with training programs and to take solid positions for an integrated and fair land reform.
4. consume the food of our country.
5. fight against the free trade zone that is being established on land that should be used for food production.
6. maintain the solidarity with popular movements in other countries of Latin America, such as Cuba and Venezuela.
This mobilisation has been organised at L’Estère, in the Artibonite departement of Haiti, with the support of the Haitian Platform to Advocate for an Alternative Development (PAPDA) and of the Claiming Farmer Movement of the Artibonite Valley (MOREPLA).