A family-owned enterprise has launched an agro-industrial project in Savane Diane, a region in the Artibonite Department about 51 miles north of Port-au-Prince.
The Apaid family, through the Stevia Agro Industry, has invested USD $8 million into the project, whose total cost is estimated to be USD $250 million, according to a Thursday announcement. It wasn’t specified when the project will be completed.
The 32,000-acre savannah will produce cassava, sugar cane, avocado and stevia plants, said Clifford Apaid, a businessman. It would provide jobs to about 20,000 residents, Apaid added.
The Apaid family also owns AGA Corp, a group of textile industries in Haiti. Source
Not only an uncompensated land grab by the Apaid family, but an agribusiness enterprise that will use chemical fertilizers[ defoliants and herbicides to boost productivity, destroying rich and productive farming areas and leaving burned-out soil forever dependent upon chemicals use. Like the banana plantation of “Neg-Banan” at Trou du Nord, something that only places riches in the Apaid’s pockets while further devastating food availability for the Haitian people. Hopefully, no USAID funds are involved in this catastrophic mess.