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Business Profile
Economy: Haiti’s average annual income of about US$500 per head is the lowest in the western hemisphere; moreover, vast disparities exist between the incomes of rich and poor. The World Bank estimates that 85 per cent of the people live below the absolute poverty line. Two-thirds of the employed population work in agriculture, mainly in the coffee plantations which generate 25 per cent of Haiti’s export earnings, although these have suffered from periodic droughts and persistently low world prices. Sugar cane, sweet potatoes, cocoa and sisal are also grown for export. The mining industry extracts marble, limestone and clay; there are also unexploited deposits of copper, silver and gold. The rest of the manufacturing sector involves food processing, metal products and textiles. Tourism, once promising, has all but vanished thanks to the country’s chronic political instability.
Haiti’s problems are so intractable that even after repeated, large injections of foreign aid and an IMF-approved economic plan, the economy remains stubbornly inert. The appalling state of the country’s infrastructure has much to do with this. Haiti’s major trading partners are the USA followed by Japan, France, Italy and Belgium. Haiti joined the Caribbean trading bloc CARICOM in 1997 as a provisional member.
Business: It is usual to wear a suit for initial or formal calls. The British Trade Correspondent can put visitors in touch with a reliable English–French translator if required. Business visitors are generally entertained to lunch or dinner by their agents or important customers and should return invitations either at their hotel or a restaurant. Best time to visit is November to March. Office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1600.
Commercial Information: The following organisations can offer advice: Chambre Haïtienne de Commerce et d’Industrie, BP 982, Boulevard Harry Truman, Cité de l’Exposition, Port-au-Prince (tel: 222 0281 or 222 2475 or 222 8661; fax: 220 2281); or Chambre Franco-Haïtienne de Commerce et d’Industrie, BP 1449, Holiday Inn Plaza, Suite 327, rue Cabois, Port-au-Prince (tel: 223 8404 or 223 8424; fax: 223 8131 or 223 8846).
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