Haiti goes hungry, food rots at its ports, shipments back up in Miami

http://www.mysuncoast.com/Global/story.asp?s=7978946


Associated Press - March 6, 2008 9:43 PM ET


CAP-HAITIEN, Haiti (AP) - As millions of Haitians starve, tons of food is rotting in the nation's ports.

The government is trying to rid its ports of corruption and is bickering over a series of reforms. New requirements are overwhelming poorly trained workers and the country's handwritten customs system. Further adding to the backlog, Haitian cargo handlers are trying to empty and inspect every container. Cargo shipments as far away as Miami are feeling the slowdown.

One U.S. aid worker says a lot of the time food rots before it passes through customs and authorities are forced to burn it. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports Haiti imports 75% of its food.

In a country where some are forced to literally eat dirt to stave off hunger, tons of beans and rice are spoiling in the sun or being devoured by vermin.