On Friday, the Government of Haiti promised to send technical and financial assistance to give continuity to the irrigation canal being built in the Northeast department.
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Haiti: Government Delegation to Visit Irrigation Canal Works
According to several reports, a government delegation composed of the ministers of Environment, Agriculture, as well as Commerce and Industry, James Cadet, Charlot Bredy and Ricardin Saint Jean, respectively, met in the town of Ouanaminthe with members of the construction committee of the Massacre River irrigation canal and members of the civil society.
Cadet reaffirmed that the Executive is willing to provide technical and financial support to the committee so that the works can continue.
He also indicated that the technicians they would send will have the mission of evaluating the needs on the ground before submitting their recommendations to the Government for possible financial support.
The tweet reads, "delegation composed of Ministers James Cadet, Charlot Bredy and Ricardin Saint Jean, respectively of Environment, Agriculture and Trade, as well as the Director General of the National Center for Geo-spatial Information (CNIGS) Boby Emmanuel Piard , met on Thursday October 26, 2023, members of the construction committee of the irrigation canal on the Massacre River and members of civil society in Ouanaminthe."
Furthermore, they pledged to assist farmers and provide means for the production of corn and okra over a three-month period to enable residents to face the challenges of the border closure.
According to official data, last August, farmers and residents of Ouanaminthe restarted the construction of the irrigation canal halted after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.
The construction should allow the irrigation of some 3,000 hectares of the Maribaroux plain, in the northeast of the country, an area considered Haiti's second-largest granary.
However, the water intake was not well received by Dominican authorities, who accused the promoters of attempting to divert the Masacre River, which serves as a watershed for five of its 55 kilometers.
In retaliation, the government of the neighboring country unilaterally closed the border, suspended visas to Haitian citizens and prohibited binational trade and transportation.
For its part, Haiti defended its sovereign right to use the water resources and assured that the works will not be stopped, in spite of Dominican pressure.