ABSTRACT
Over the past few years, Haiti has displayed a negative growth of G D P and increasing deficits in its trade balance.1 These deficits have been financed by internat ional aid (60 per cent) and loans in the internat ional financial markets. The foreign debt amounted to no less than US$600 million in 1986.2 Dur ing the same period, the Haitian population has continued to grow at a rate of approximately 2 per cent per year.3 The result has been that per capita income dropped by 15 per cent between 1980 and 1985.4
One of the reasons behind the negative growth and the worsening of the trade balance in Haiti is the decrease of primary exports.
