On 7 July 2023, ILO jointly with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, the RCO and relevant stakeholders in the breadfruit supply chain, organised an event to develop the breadfruit value chain (commonly called lam veritab in Haiti) and its possible transformation to serve agro-industrial and pharmaceutical trade opportunities. The event was organised within the framework of two joint-programmes (resilience with ILO, UNDP & FAO and global crisis with ILO & UNCTAD) financed by the Joint SDG Fund made available to Small Island Developing States. A panel of specialists from the fields of nutrition, academia (applied research), industry and agro-economy presented the potential of this unique fruit. Commercial opportunities were also highlighted as well as some constraints that need to be addressed for improving the incomes of small rural producers. In particular, the issue of post-harvest management of breadfruit in the Grand Sud needs to be tackled to reduce the huge post-harvest losses currently experienced (up to 80%). Reducing losses and improving logistics, as well as modernising processing equipment, are essential factors to make a significant contribution towards increasing agricultural productivity and integrated rural development.
In this context, the ILO contribution to the Department of Grand-Anse through this promotional event is to put in perspective the potential of this very promising fruit on national and even international markets. Agricultural value chain development encourages greater Haitian autonomy in food production and to fight the terrible food insecurity that prevails, particularly in that region and plays a leading role in decent green job creation. These efforts are part of the drive for increasing agricultural productivity and thus contribute to the National Policy and Strategy for Food Sovereignty, Security and Nutrition in Haiti (PSNSSANH) and the roadmap for transforming food systems (SA). In a nutshell, the SDG (resilience and global crisis) projects, supported by the multi-million dollar P.R.O.F.I.T. Project (Project Strengthening Agricultural Opportunities through Training and Technological Investment) funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have already recorded significant progress in the breadfruit sector, particularly in the Grand'Anse. This promotional event was a remarkable success in terms of attendance (close to 200 people both presential and online) and media coverage, demonstrating the interest of local and international players in strengthening and developing the breadfruit sector.
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The Joint SDG Fund's joint programmes are under the prestige leadership of the Resident Coordinator Office and implementing United Nations Agencies. With sincere appreciation for the contributions from the European Union and Governments of Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and our private sector funding partners, for a transformative movement towards achieving the SDGs by 2030.
