At the end of 2011, the National Society of Industrial Parks (SONAPI) initiated with technical and financial support from the IDB to the tune of 241.5 million dollars, the implementation of the Caracol Industrial Park (PIC) in northern Haiti.

Opened October 22, 2012, the industrial park covers an area of 252 hectares and includes 8 industrial buildings totaling 113,000 m2 of construction on a total of 238.303 m2 planned for the first phase of the project. 75.750 m2 building intended to accommodate new industrial companies will be initiated.

This is one of the most modern industrial parks in the Caribbean. It has its own power plant with a capacity of 10 MW able to reach 35 MW, funded to the tune of $ 35 million by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The power plant of the Park, also supplies electricity to more than 7,800 households and 1,000 micro and small enterprises esident in the municipalities of Caracol, Trou du Nord, Terrier Rouge and Limonade.

In addition, the PIC has a treatment plant of waste water and domestic and industrial water distribution system and a sorting unit and storage of solid waste. It also has its own contingent of police, fire trucks and ambulances.

PIC continues to demonstrate excellent performance in terms of job creation and export. Employment increased to the PIC of over 276% passing and 2,300 jobs in April 2013 to 8.648 jobs currently.

n the coming months the current workforce will increase to almost 15,000 workers, including through the signing of formal commitments with the national company "GOAL" and the American company "Citadelle Manufacturing" which respectively provide for the creation of 6,000 and 300 jobs.

If we take into account the commitments of the largest textile company in Korea, already based in Caracol, the Korean SAE-A (S & H GLOBAL), the total number of jobs in PIC is expected to reach 27,000 in 2017. Note that the Park Caracol support, the transport of more than 8,000 workers from its own bus fleet.

Exports during the first three quarters of 2015 exceeded those at the end of 2014 of 70%. Remember that each job created by the textile sector generates up to 25,000 US export dollars annually.

As for wages paid to employees of the Park, they went from nearly 50 million gourdes in the first quarter in 2014 to over 300 million gourdes in the third quarter (July-September 2015).

HL/ HaitiLibre