ARTICLE - ARCAHAIE - IRRIGATION

7,000 HECTARES OF AGRICULTURAL LAND IRRIGATED IN THE PLAINS OF ARCAHAIE
(Haiti Libre) -

President Michel Martelly, proceeded, this Thursday, Feb. 16, to the inauguration of two irrigation dams at Matheux and Courjolle in the commune of Arcahaie. The ceremony was attended, among others, by the Ambassador of France in Port-au-Prince, Didier Le Bret, representatives of the European Union, the Minister of Agriculture, Hébert Docteur, and parliamentarians and municipal authorities, including the Mayor of Arcahaie, Jean Yvon Nestor.

Irrigation works at Matheux and at Courjolle, which fall within the framework of a sectoral program to strengthen irrigation in the plains of Arcahaie, Montrouis and Saint-Marc, have costed $13 million U.S. dollars. Funded by the French Development Agency and the European Union, this sectoral project of the Ministry of Agriculture Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR) permits the irrigation of an area of ​​7,000 hectares, with dams at Matheux and Courjolle. The Matheux dam, considered as a wealth for farmers, serves 900 families. Forty five percent (45%) of the bananas consumed in Port-au-Prince come from the Arcahaie plain. In addition to the rehabilitation of these two dams, there were also built two dissipation ponds, and five outlets on the network, eleven aqueducts, and over twenty miles of primary and secondary canals.

"Where there is water, there is life." With this reminder, the Head of State, very aware of the importance of irrigation in agricultural production, was delighted to see this big step. Working to strengthen the agricultural credit program, President Martelly seeks to put to work, in activity, 60% of farmers for the first time. It is in this sense 100,000 bags of fertilizer were distributed to farmers in recent months in several parts of the country. The distribution program will continue to facilitate the work of farmers.

After the inauguration ceremony in Arcahaie, President Martelly went to Bassin Général (Rivière grise), to evaluate the rehabilitation of the dam. He also visited several farms on the Cul-de-Sac plane(Pernier, Dumay, Bas-Boën, Lassere, etc...) It is to encourage efforts to boost domestic production.

Before a confident people who presented a list of grievances, the President of the Republic reiterated his commitment to continue to lay the foundations for sustainable development. He took the opportunity to sensitize the Haitian people to consume local products. The Head of State also encouraged Haitians to reforest and protect the mountains; the environment being one of his top priorities.