#4392: reply to Poincy agro-industry from Gill

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: markgill <markgill@clas.net>

Poincy states:
> Agro-industry is the type of economic strategy intended to boost an
> economy, as it would create forward linkages. For that matter, Manigat
> got it right. The development of agriculture would create the necessity
> to bring other activities into being. They would be the support base of
> the booming primary sector from transforming the raw product and making
> it ready for ultimate use by the end consumer. That ranges from
> refining, storing, packaging, transporting, trading, financing to
> bookkeeping to say the least. However, its success would depend on the
> target market at its initial stage. If it is geared toward the local
> market economic success is a sure thing. If it is geared toward the
> international market, the country is in deep trouble.

****now, i wonder if people caught this....especially the last two
sentences.....these last two statements indicate that Poincy has his hat on
correctly, for he is exactly right.  the success of agro industry will
depend on internal markets, and not foreign ones.  efforts to turn Haiti
into an export oriented economy have failed miserably.  one can see real
wages declining even during the assembly industry "hey-dey"...they declined
something like 10% from l980-l985....

in regards textiles, however, we must consider that the costs of clothing
from Miami are low, such that it will be most difficult for a textile
industry to grab a significant niche of the market.....