A new agricultural market, including two warehouses, an administrative block and a toilet block has just been installed in the town of Saint Raphaël, in the department of North about 50 km of Cap Haïtien. The construction of this market is part of the "Transport and Territorial Development Project (PTDT)" in the microregion of North which includes the following five communes : Milot, Dondon, Saint-Raphaël, Grande-Rivière and Bahon. Its goal is to "improve working and safety conditions of merchants and the sanitary conditions and of hygiene in which fresh products are marketed".

This market, whose total cost amounts to USD$244,000, is the result of a partnership between the Haitian government, through Bureau of Monetization of Development Aid Programs (BM-PAD) of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, of the World Bank and the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI), which plays the role of project manager delegate.

"The agricultural market is a strategic and economic infrastructure," said Michel Guypsy, the Director of CECI, for whom, Saint Raphaël is not only a "breadbasket", but also "a strategic crossroads between the northern regions, the Artibonite and the Central Plateau".

Director of CECI, has also stressed that the construction of the agricultural market is the result of a consensus between the five communes of the micro-region. "This market is also that of all these communes" urging the merchants to protect this work. "On our next visit, we would like to see that you keep your market clean. The channels are not built to receive trash, but to ensure the flow of water. They must always be clean."

The micro-region North has already received two other projects within the framework of PDDT. That of the electrification of the town of Bahon and the pottery workshop of Lory (locality of the town of Milot) that were opened May 19, 2011. Several other projects are nearing completed and concern the development of the agriculture, the health, the infrastructure and environment.

The Mayor Anthiocus Jean Baptiste, was pleased that merchants now have a suitable place for their businesses "Saint Raphaël is the breadbasket of the country in terms of vegetable products and food crops" said the Mayor, who would like that a cold room be added to the market [as soon the electricity will be available in Saint-Raphaël], for better conservation of the products.

HL/ HaitiLibre / Minustah