Outdoor markets in Haiti’s northwest may soon get public health-inspired facelifts

PORT-DE-PAIX—Lying along the azure blue waters of the Atlantic coast here, the capital city of Haiti’s Northwest Department, Mache Bòdmè — Seaside Market in English — attracts vendors and shoppers from all around the region of about 500,000. As visitors approach the market, however, thoughts of cooking delicious meals are often quickly pushed aside as the stench of waste and mountains of trash along the beach greet them. 

“Whenever I come to this market to buy my groceries, I feel very uncomfortable because the way the merchants and ti machann display the products is inappropriate,”  Rose Nicole Eugène, a shopper, said recently, referring to the small retailers.

Opening her canvas straw bag to show the vegetables, bananas, pitimi—sorghum in English—cassava and fish she had just bought, Eugène seemed resigned. 

“I very much wonder whether this food will not have serious consequences on the health of my family,” she said.

The dizzying smells, according to local health authorities and many residents, is a sign of the public health risk that poor hygiene surrounding the marketplace and lack of government regulation have created. Vendors also lament the conditions of the marketplace, a hub of economic activity where thousands of transactions occur daily. They say they have no choice but to work in the often putrid conditions because their families rely on the vendors’ sales to live. 

In response, officials with Haiti’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC) said the agency will soon launch a public health campaign to clean up Mache Bodmè and other outdoor marketplaces. 

A long-ignored problem 

In cities and towns across Haiti, vendors — most of them women — set up their wares at kiosks, tables or the ground to sell their wares. Besides the official marketplaces, street vendors often display their wares on street corners, riversides and seasides, or in front of hospitals, banks, schools and churches — anywhere with heavy foot traffic. Good and other consumable products that can become contaminated and make people sick are no exception.

The vendors main goal is to meet customers wherever they are, physically and financially for well-practiced games of negotiation and haggling to feed their families. Though noticeable to them, the lack of market infrastructure, regulation or missing market amenities do not sidetrack them from selling.

Mérilia Fils-Aimé is among hundreds of vendors at a public market called Maché Se Radòt, a term used to describe an open market filled with chatter. Like many others, she sells vegetables and beans under suspicious conditions. It’s a job the mother of one has had in various marketplaces around the city for seven years. 

“That’s how we are able to sell more, thus allowing us to make ends meet for our families,” Fils-Aimé. a mother of one, said. “This trade has allowed me to pay my child’s school tuition…feed my family, and keep a roof over our heads.”

But while they work, they are subjected to insects buzzing around, drawn by slabs of meat hanging uncovered, dubious-looking edible snacks, nearby piles of refuse — to name a few issues. There is protection from the elements for neither the people nor products. 

“My goods get wet and spoiled sometimes when it’s raining, and the sun’s heat is often unbearable,” Modeline Vertus, a seller of fresh vegetables, meat, bananas and yams at Bonmè, told The Haitian Times.

“Sometimes, I have to use a blanket and a carpet to protect myself in the market,” Vertus said. “The space is unimaginably dirty, and there is no proper construction. We ti machann are left alone, without any support from the authorities.”

Traditionally, Haitians shop at informal marketplaces. In 2020, according to the Haitian Institute of Statistics and Information (IHSI), there were 5.5 million active people with an activity rate of 65.3%. People often prefer street vending over formal places such as indoor supermarkets, stores, and small shops because the exchange between sellers and buyers is more dynamic, socially and culturally. But while the informal trade offers flexibility, the conditions are not subject to all health, safety, and hygiene standards. Because they are sold outside regulated business norms, the government harshly collects sales tax, which is necessary to increase state revenue.

In Port-de-Paix and its surrounding areas, this situation has become much more out of control due to inadequate infrastructure and a lack of government supervision.

“I would like the local or central government authorities to intervene in this market quickly with a view to improving our situation,” Eugène said of the Seaside Market. “I would like them to build a modern market that meets proper standards so that both buyers and sellers can enjoy the novelty and beauty of this local market.”

Government called to do more 

Vendor Juliciane Julien said it’s past time that government officials recognize the existence of smaller retailers and ti machann at local marketplaces. 

“We have been left to fend for ourselves for so long,” she lamented. “They need to visit us and assess our conditions. That way, they may understand the need to build a public market center for us.”

Health professionals agree on the need to address the persistent issue. 

Dr. Miclaude Paul, of Hôpital Immaculée de Conception, said the Haitian government’s long-standing laxity in the public health domain shows a lack of responsibility. Paul called on the Commerce Ministry to provide new standards.

“People also need good public market infrastructure to be able to conduct their commercial activities humanely while applying health, safety and cleanliness standards,” Dr. Paul said. “We have seen people sick with all kinds of infections and diseases that could have been otherwise prevented. Scores of residents, including children and elders, have died due to those preventable illnesses.”

Dr. Tony Monestine, head of sanitation for the Northwest Health Department (DSNO), echoed Dr. Paul’s concerns. He said his directorate can coordinate awareness campaigns to educate and encourage people on best practices of hygienic principles. But that the commerce department would need to regulate the commercial 

“As a public health doctor, I cannot intervene to regulate commercial practices. takes rules, infrastructure options and community policing to change people’s behavior and traditional practices for the common good.”

Regulation may come, local officials say

In 2022, after years of rallying cries from residents and local officials demanding actions and help from the central government, Haiti’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC) established a departmental directorate to reorganize and regulate informal commercial activities in the region. However, installing a director to lead the institution has not changed much yet.

“The Ministry of Commerce is there to monitor how people display products, either in  supermarkets or in public market spaces, to check if the products are of good quality and suitable for consumption,” said Ferry Garcia, the MIC departmental director, to The Haitian Times.

“We plan to launch an awareness campaign to teach traders about the behavior they should have in maker spaces,” he added. “This includes how they should display the products they offer in appropriate and clean conditions, which will positively impact consumers’ health.”

Garcia did not provide a date when that campaign would begin, nor did he give any details about the estimated cost of such a program.

Vacneur Cédieu, a spokesperson for Port-de-Paix’s government, said the city’s municipal authorities have various projects planned to build and rehabilitate specific public marketplaces. These projects are expensive, and with its a low budget, the town hall alone lacks the means to execute them.

“If commercial activities become regularized, we will collect substantial tax revenue in the municipality,” Cédieu said. “We have already held several meetings with authorities and leaders of different institutions regarding the situation of sellers throughout the streets of Port-de-Paix. We aim to see how we could help them improve their conditions.”

Cédieu also said the local authorities are seeking financial support from national and international institutions that can help fund their projects, such as the Economic and Social Assistance Fund (FAES) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

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Outdoor markets in Haiti’s northwest may soon get public health-inspired facelifts was first posted on June 28, 2024 at 9:58 am.