An Urgent Appeal - Help Save Haitian Mango Farmers!

Chef Bolek is stepping away from the stove for a moment to bring attention to an urgent issue involving small family farms and workers in Haiti. The issue involves the production of mangoes, and the immediate threat to their livelihood. 

Small farms throughout Haiti, including the community of Gros Morne, Haiti, grows what are known as Francis or Fransik mangoes. These mangoes are well known for their soft, juicy flesh that are full of rich, sweet flavors. They are also known, in the words of one blogger, as "a big deal for Haitian people, particularly for the rural population." Thousands of Haitians work in the production of mangoes, from growing them on those small farms to processing the fruit to transporting the mangoes to their ultimate destinations. 

Gros Morne provides an example of how it works. There is a cooperative that operates mango collection center. Each center purchases the mangoes from growers and then sells the fruit to packing houses. The packing houses process the mangoes for export. Those mangoes that are not destined for export would be sold by Madanm Sara in city markets. 

The mangoes are also important for another reason: they are a major export item and an important source of income. In 2022, Haiti exported 28 million mangoes to the United States. However, the United States Department of Agriculture ("USDA") cancelled the mango export contract with Haitian mango producers. The USDA cited insecurity, namely, for its inspectors to disinfect the crop and clear it for export. Those inspectors are based in Haiti and they disinfect the mangos by placing them in hot water for 60 to 90 minutes to kill any fly larvae. The Francis mango is the only mango that comes out of the process without being damaged. Without the inspectors and the disinfectant process, the mangoes cannot be exported to the United States. 

Without an export partner, these small farms do not have a buyer for their mangoes. Without a buyer, the mangoes will be left to rot on the ground and the farmers will be left without the needed income. If this problem persists, the farmers may be left with no other choice than to cut down the mango trees for their wood. This apparently has begun taking place, as farmers try to satisfy their short term needs but at their long-term expense.

The Quixote Center, is a non-profit organization dedicated to working on community led development in Haiti. The center has announced an emergency initiative to raise $35,000 to support the purchase of 168,000 mangoes from farmers and producers in Gros Morns and, with the assistance of the local Catholic parish community, transport the mangoes to remote areas that lack fresh fruit. This emergency measure is necessary to address the needs right now, while the Quixote Center and other non-profit organizations work toward a long term solution that, hopefully opens the U.S. market to Haitian mangoes once again. 

Please support this initiative by making a donation to the Quixote Center. You can learn more about this initiative by clicking on this link and make a donation by clicking on this link. 

Full Disclosure: I serve on the Board of Directors of the Quixote Center. I also made a donation to support this initiative.

Thank you, and ... 

PEACE.