2005News

Haitians flee, coffee crop lost

The shortage of Haitian workers for the coffee harvest in the municipality of Villa Trina, as a result of them fleeing after local neighborhood associations gave them a deadline to leave, has led to the loss of almost 40% of this year’s harvest. According to Diario Libre, the Haitians were forced to leave Villa Trina after the murder of a Dominican, which was blamed on a Haitian. The president of the Villa Trina Association of Coffee Farmers, Hugo Gonzalez, explained that they only have 140 of the 300 workers they need to pick the crop, and they are expecting financial a loss of over RD$3 million.