The story of rice in Haiti is one of the most dramatic examples of how agricultural trade policy can transform — and devastate — a developing country’s food system. In the 1980s, Haiti was largely self-sufficient in rice production, with the Artibonite Valley supplying much of the country’s needs. Today, Haiti imports more than 80 percent of the rice it consumes, primarily from the United States.
The transformation was driven by trade liberalization policies imposed on Haiti in the 1990s as conditions for international financial support, which slashed tariffs on imported rice and exposed Haitian farmers to competition from heavily subsidized American rice that they could not match on price. The Haitian rice sector collapsed, Artibonite Valley farmers lost their livelihoods, and the country became dependent on a volatile international commodity market for its staple food.
The consequences were felt acutely in 2019, as the combination of currency depreciation and supply chain disruptions drove up the cost of imported rice just as Haitian families were least able to afford it. The vulnerability of relying on imports for a staple food became painfully apparent.
Agricultural economists and Haitian policy advocates called for a reversal of the trade liberalization that had devastated domestic rice production, arguing for protective tariffs that would give Haitian farmers a chance to compete and rebuild the sector. They pointed to evidence that, with appropriate support and investment, Haitian rice could again meet a significant share of domestic demand.