1. President Martelly observes organic tomatoes being processed for packaging | 2. Minister Wilson Laleau, interim-Mayor Carlah Widjmy, President Michel Martelly and Pe Sicot | 3. President receives explanations on how the center functions | 4. President speaks to community of farmers of Kenscoff

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (sentinel.ht) – The community of Kenscoff received a center for fruit and vegetable packaging on Saturday that will help in after-harvest preservation of perishable goods. The center is a product of a partnership between Afè Nèg Combite and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The inauguration of this center had the participation of the interim-Mayor of Kenscoff, Clarah Clesca, the Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development, Jacques Thomas, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Wilson Laleau, and the President of the Republic, Michel Martelly.

It is under the “Project to Support the Commercialization of Fragile and Perishable Products” that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry says brought it to sign a memorandum of understanding with Afè Nèg Combite on June 19, to provide engineering and human resources and financial assistance to implement the fruit and vegetable packaging center of Kenscoff.

With over 70% of the population living on agriculture, Kenscoff the ministry said it was “logical” to make the first experimental center in this area.

There is a lack of physical infrastructure for post harvest operations (collection, transportation, processing and packaging) in the area which resulted in systematic and precipitous devaluation of fruits and vegetables, making it difficult for produce to access markets with standards and requirements. Much of the farmers’ products are lost after harvest which left producers in financial difficulty.

With the installation of this driver fitness center fruit and vegetables Kenscoff, and supervision from the MCI, the Martelly-Lamothe administration “has a lasting contribution to the standardization of procedures for processing, packaging and marketing of products and fragile perishable to significantly improve the purchasing power of smallholders,” noted Pè Sicot, an office of Afè Nèg Combite who thanked Minister Laleau and President Martelly.

The Minister of Trade and Industry said he recalled the importance of standards to be followed by fruits and vegetables to be sold optimally not only on the Haitian market, but also the Caribbean market and internationally.

Laleau also stressed the important role that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry plays in the establishment of norms, standards and a quality label for products and services Haitian through the Haitian Bureau of Standards and Metrology. Laleau said that other such centers would be established across the country to create a chain of operators for packaging of fruits and vegetables, as in Kenscoff.

“This project will spread across the country , because I want to progress to Haiti and work in this direction in order to get everyone out of poverty. I also believe in training, and I also research the necessary means to ensure that all young people have access to training that is useful to them,” said President Martelly during the inauguration of the center.