#1739: Re: #1712: Gill replies to Karshan on RICE issue

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 18:50:59 -0800
From: mark gill <markgill@midwest.net>
To: Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>
Subject: Re: #1712: Karshan to Gill on RICE issue (fwd)


>
>
> << Miami rice is not the result of some nefarious US policy, made in the
dark
>  in some hidden room in Washington... >>
>
> To the contrary, the export of rice from the US to Haiti was a carefully
> planned affair.  USAID continued to subsidize a rice company which was
> blacklisted from the USAID (see NYT reference in the Rice reports by the
> Washington Office on Haiti) because of fraudulent activities in Yemen.


the rice was being imported into Haiti long before the time of Marc Bazin.
the rice company you mention was on a long list of those companies that were
helped by USAID

the first concessions were granted during Duvalier's time, and this was a
concession given by the govt, and Duvalier's pockets were enlarged with
direct pay-offs.....

there is no question that the USAID sometimes deals with the wrong
businesses.....i know of any number of examples in a number of countries..

but, in this case, the importation was already occuring to Haiti and Haitian
business concerns were directly involved.......the purpose was to make
money, not undermine the Haitian economy.....my point was there was no
conspiracy to undermine Haitian agriculture.....

again, there is a big difference between some product being introduced that
hurts local producers of the same product, and policy planners setting out
to destroy some part of the economy of a given country......