Starting this October 1, Haiti could reject the entry of food perishable and prepackaged products from the Dominican Republic that lack record sanitary or fail to comply with the standards of labeledwhich must be translated into French or Creole, according to a resolution of that country.
Given this situation, both merchants like the businessmen of Dajabón have been accelerating the process to obtain a record health that is required for the sale of products meat and agricultural products such as chicken, eggs and vegetables.
“There is little time, but we are trying to prepare the merchants who do business here before the measures“, declared to Diario Libre the president of the Binational Market Association of DajabónNoel Fernandez.
Fernández was present at a meeting held last Friday with the person in charge of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Haiti for the Northern region, Lesly Théogéne, in which the measures that the neighboring country will take.
Unlike the products pre-packaged – which require a labeled translated with details such as origin, manufacturing and nutritional content –, the authorities Haitians would allow the record health service is in Spanish, confirmed the administrative director of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs (MICM) for the province of DajabónEdwan Vicente Vélez, who also participated in the meeting.
He indicated that they are working hand in hand with the authorities of the Ministry of Public Health for the issuance of health records for the food perishable goods, which would be granted for companies or by merchant, depending on the case.
To this, Fernández added that obtaining a record healthcare could be a simpler and faster task for merchants.
“The majority of products sold here are purchased from companies or farms that are not in Dajabón. What you do is that you ask those farms or companies for a copy of the Public Health record that they have in their company, and I believe which is more viable. We are looking for a way because, as you can understand, it is a new situation for us, and we are looking for a way to keep everything flowing.”President of the Dajabón Binational Market Association.
Expectations with him labeled
As far as the labeledthe merchants They do not know if the measure will be applied gradually or with immediate effect, which is why they prefer to wait for them to come into force to see what the actions of the authorities will be. authorities Haitians, Fernández emphasized.
The resolution of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Haiti – issued on August 6 of this year by its head, James Monazard – but replicated by the Haitian media on September 11 – requires manufacturers, importers and distributors of products food that, according to a decree issued in 2020, all labels of the products food Pre-packaged products must contain, in French or Creole, the following information:
- The net quantity in the international metric system
- Instructions and notices for normal use and conservation of the product
- The batch number, name or company name and address of the manufacturer, packager or distributor
- Any other mandatory information relating to certain products
“It’s not going to be as easy as they are making it. Right now we are waitingand we will see what happens this week, after it comes into force,” said Fernández, who specified that Dominican products sent to Haiti usually contain a nutritional table with the contents of the product, but in Spanish.
Vélez agreed with this, who stated that business owners can request support from the MICM which, through its MSME Center, can offer assistance to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. companies who want to register and work in their labeled.
Large export companies
With regard to the large companies exportersthe Dominican Association of Exporters (Adoexpo), stated that it is in talks with government institutions and other business associations to achieve rapprochement with the authorities Dominicans.
“The companies will take measures; They must comply with the regulations. However, due to the pressure of time and the adjustments that must be made, hopefully (the measure) does not significantly affect the volume of exports,” said its executive vice president, Roselyn Amaro Bergés.
The Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic (AIRD)for its part, asked the Haitian Industries Association (ADIH) to process, before the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of that country, a request for suspension for the entry into force of this measure.
Your vice president, Mario Pujolsassured that the purpose of requesting this measure is to “count with a reasonable period that allows our partners to comply with the requirements established by the Haitian authorities, regarding the labeled of prepackaged food products.
He said that the union continues to follow up with the authorities, both Dominican and Haitian, to ensure the necessary clarity regarding the measure and its implementation.
The mayor of Dajabón, Santiago Riverón, described the measures taken by the Haitian authorities as “radical”, and was skeptical about their compliance. “They are measures that are too radical for the informal trade that exists today on the border,” he said. The council He added that he has already noticed how in the past, the Haitian authorities have taken this type of measures to encourage the entry of goods from other countries via sea ports which, in his opinion, is done for the benefit of particular interests. “Then, those who suffer the most are the poor Haitians, because that merchandise reaches them at a higher price,” he said.
