Sugar cane without Haitians

[NewsWhore]

Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso, a former sugar cane industry executive, highlighted the fact that the trend is for increased investments in farming mechanization that will eliminate the need for Haitian labor in sugar cane fields. Dominicans reject the hard work of sugar cane cutting, which has led to thousands of Haitians being allowed to migrate to the country to take their place. These Haitians live in settlements called bateyes, many languishing today as the number of jobs declines because farms are being mechanized. Likewise, while Haitians used to start out working in sugar cane fields, nowadays most come to work in construction work, which is better paid. As reported in Hoy, Morales said that this move would make the country less vulnerable to accusations of slavery and abusive living conditions for the Haitians who come to work in the sugar cane fields and live in bateyes. "There are some organizations that live off these claims, but they are people who have problems in their own countries, because the migration problem is not simple," said Morales Troncoso. He mentioned that Spain has problems with immigration from North Africa; Germany too has difficulties with migration, and that the United States has problems with migration from Central America and Mexico.

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