a1616: DR1: Win-win situation for DR and Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Robert Benodin <r.benodin@worldnet.att.net>

DR1
Win-win situation for DR and Haiti
4-9-02
President Hipolito Mejia visited Haiti yesterday for the start of
construction of the Quanaminte Free Zone Park, a US$7 million investment by
Grupo M, a Santiago free zone group, to go up 200 meters west of the border
with Haiti, across from Dajabon. The free zone park will have space for 26
factories once fully operational. The first two plants are expected to be
operational by the first quarter of 2003. They will employ 1,500 Haitians
and 800 Dominicans during their first three years in operation, and create
another 4,000 jobs in indirect suppliers and services.
Later, some 8,000 workers will be employed in apparel manufacturing plants
to be located there. The expected success of the free zone could spur more
job creation in Haiti.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony that took place five meters from
the Dominican borderline, President Mejia again described Dominican-Haitian
relations as a marriage without divorce and the free zone was the first
child of the marriage. President Jean Bertrand Aristide of Haiti also
attended.
President Mejia stressed that the best way to consolidate democracy is to
create jobs and the free zone is the first concrete step in creating jobs in
Haiti. By helping Haitians make a living there, the DR reduces the exodus of
Haitians seeking survival jobs in the DR.
Fernando Capellan, president of Grupo M of the DR, explained groups of 140
Haitians would be trained in sewing operations every two months. The park
will offer medical services and meals for the workers. The investors are
also making the plant self-sufficient in potable water, power and other
basic services.
Grupo M will be sending the new plants contracts that are labor intensive
and require low skills, such as for t-shirts and men’s pants. The DR has
been losing these contracts to Honduras, which offers low-cost labor.
Likewise, the twin plants in Haiti will have access to quotas that are no
longer available for Dominican products.
The plants are built on land that was leased to the company because the
Haitian Constitution prohibits the sale of land to foreigners.