
PORT-AU-
Prince of Haiti-When her daughter was 4 years old, Jennifer Jean started a small catering business in Bourdon
Class area in the capital of Haiti.
Starting with an occasional wedding or company meeting, she has grown her business into a business that earns up to $1,000 a month, enough to pay the bills and send her now --
Her teenage daughter and her 7-year-
The old son of a good private school.
Then the power outage began, and the basic activities could not be done.
There was no cold storage and in order to keep the food cool, she now had to buy ice on the street.
"Back in the day, you can drive out at any time in the evening, at 1 in the morning. m. or 2 a. m.
Jean said he is considering immigration to the United States.
All the streets are dark now.
You just don't know what you're going to meet.
"Through the Venezuelan oil aid program, Haiti used to get about 60,000 barrels of oil per day under favorable conditions, surpassing anything in the open market.
More than half of the cost of oil is repaid at a sharp discount, and it has been repaid at a rate of 1% for 25 years, which allows the government to use the unexpected money for economic development.
In exchange, Haiti reliably supported Venezuela's opposition to the United States at regional forums such as the Organization of American States.
But because President Nicolas Maduro's government is struggling with falling oil production and the economic downturn, venezuela has stopped sending billions of cheap oil to Central American and Caribbean countries, including Haiti. the end means a significant reduction in electricity.
At the same time, the Bureau for the monetization of development assistance projects in Haiti quickly encountered difficulties.
After starting to buy oil on the global market, the bureau said this year that it had exhausted operating funds and stopped regularly transporting the fuel needed for power station operators to maintain lighting.
Most people in Haiti now enjoy only three hours of electricity a day.
With armed robbers robbing street traders or breaking into people's homes in the dark, night activities have stopped.
The gas station has been empty for a few days and it is almost impossible for many Haitians to go to work, run errands or take their children to school.
The hospital was forced to rely on a backup generator.
"We can't find gas in our vehicle.
Our clients can't come to us.
Sales are falling in every industry, "said Reginald Boulos, a businessman whose investment group operates large supermarkets and car dealers.
The fuel crisis is helping Haiti's economy approach recession in danger.
GDP growth in 2018 was 1. 5% —
Less than half the government expected.
Economists say the same could happen this year.
The annual inflation rate is also estimated at 17%, while the price of gasoline per gallon on the black market is between $6 and $12.
The price of subsidized gasoline per gallon sold by the state to customers is about 27 cents.
This helps keep the price around $2. 50 a gallon. But the cash-
Haiti's economy-strapped countries, which have not paid subsidies for months, once owed about $71 million, has led Haitian businessmen to call for an end to this complex country --
Structure of oil procurement.
The way out is vague at best.
On July 6, when President Jovenel Moise tried to lift fuel subsidies and raise prices of various oil products by 38% to 51%, protesters across the country took to the streets to call for him to step down.
The decision was quickly overturned, and the International Monetary Fund later provided the world's poorest countries with $96 million in low-interest loans. interest loan.
Corruption has also angered protesters.
A survey by the Haitian Senate found that $2 billion in profit from the oil-Caribbean project was wasted or stolen, resulting in a month-long period of time --
A long-standing civic campaign calling for more investigations and prosecutions.
The shortage is creating panic.
The economy is being damaged.
The best way is to let go of the market and regulate it to avoid these problems, "said Maarten Boute, CEO of Digicel, Haiti's largest mobile phone network provider.
Some other countries in the region are much better off than Petrocaribe's ending.
Jamaica's economic performance hit a record high.
However, Cuba is suffering from a shortage of food and fuel, although it is not serious in Haiti.
The Moiz government has asked China's Ministry of Finance and private energy companies to advise on ways to further open up the oil market.
But the head of the agency, Fels iméme Ignas St Fleer, said the agency would not give up its role in overseeing Haiti's oil imports and wholesale prices.
"The state reserves the right to intervene directly in the market," he said . ".
But in the burden area, Jean says her situation is getting bad.
Jean says she can't find gas, the price of a taxi has doubled, and her children often study nervously in the dim light.
"Without electricity, we are in a very difficult situation," she said.