Dominican products continue to be smuggled into Haiti

Haiti.- The closure of all border points between the Dominican Republic and Haiti has led to an increase in smuggling between the two nations. Videos circulating on social media depict individuals crossing on foot to uncontrolled border areas to buy Dominican products and then sell them in the Haitian market. Merchants have confirmed that they rely on this longstanding smuggling trade to access Dominican goods.

One notable issue arising from this illegal trade is the influx of rotten eggs into Haitian markets in recent days. Despite the higher prices, Haitians are determined to find products through smuggling due to food shortages.

Haitians are continuing with plans to construct a canal over the Masacre River in an effort to reduce dependency on Dominican imports. Some are promoting the consumption of local products, suggesting alternatives to imported meat like herring and cod.

Armed gangs in Haiti are exacerbating food insecurity and driving up food prices by extorting transporters and demanding extra money for safe passage, which ultimately affects the prices at which merchants sell their products.

Official figures indicate that over half of what Haitians consume comes from the Dominican Republic, making Haiti the second-largest trading partner of the neighboring country. Dominican food products, medicines, and construction materials are among the most in-demand goods in Haiti, and their shortage has become evident in public markets and on the tables of Haitian households since the border closure.