As Haitians grapple with rising food insecurity, it is also faced with a disease that has wiped out orange trees in its northern parts, an area known for growing the sweetest oranges in the country. The bacterial disease, Huanglongbing, has been present in Haiti for at least a decade. There is no cure, but there are ways of controlling it, something farmers say they need assistance with as they endure the loss of their orange plantations and earnings.
The dwindling supply of sweet oranges affects the economy and pushes them to consume more and more expensive imported products. Agriculture contributes billions of dollars to Haiti’s economy, with a fifth of the country’s labor force employed in this sector.
Fruit ranks second in Haiti’s exports to the U.S., one of its biggest trading partners, and the disease has left farmers in the area unable to reap the benefits of international demand for its fruit and the profits that accompany it.
Source: globalpressjournal.com
