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IFRAME: [1]https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-N8MP7P [2]Skip to main content (Submit) Open main navigation [3]Watch [4]Listen * [5]United States [6]US Politics + [7]Immigration + [8]All About America + [9]Science & Health + [10]Silicon Valley & Technology * World [11]Africa + [12]The Americas + [13]East Asia + [14]Europe + [15]Extremism Watch + [16]Middle East + [17]South & Central Asia + [18]VOA News on Iran * Sections [19]Arts & Culture + [20]Day in Photos + [21]Economy & Business + [22]Press Freedom + [23]Plugged in with Greta Van Susteren + [24]VOA StudentU + [25]VOA Connect * [26]US News * [27]Press Freedom * [28]Silicon Valley & Technology * [29]VOA StudentU [30]Voice of America Logo (Submit) Search Search VOA News ____________________ (Submit) Search (Submit) Eng [31]Watch [32]Listen English [33]English [34]voanews.com [35]Learning English [36]learningenglish.voanews.com Eastern & Central Europe [37]Shqip [38]zeriamerikes.com [39]Bosanski [40]ba.voanews.com [41]Îλληνικά [42]gr.voanews.com [43]ÐакедонÑки [44]mk.voanews.com [45]Srpski [46]glasamerike.net [47]УкÑаÑнÑÑка [48]ukrainian.voanews.com Eurasia [49]ÕÕ¡ÕµÕ¥ÖÕ¥Õ¶ [50]amerikayidzayn.com [51]Azerbaijani [52]amerikaninsesi.org [53]á¥áá áá£áá [54]amerikiskhma.com [55]Ð ÑÑÑкий [56]golos-ameriki.ru Central Asia [57]O'zbek' [58]amerikaovozi.com South Asia [59]বাà¦à¦²à¦¾ [60]voabangla.com [61]Ø¯Ø±Û [62]darivoa.com [63]Ù¾Úت٠[64]pashtovoa.com [65]ÙÛ Ø§Ù Ø§Û ÚÙÙ٠رÙÚÛÙ [66]voadeewanews.com [67]ارد [68]urduvoa.com East & Southeast Asia [69]á»ááá¹áᬠ[70]burmese.voanews.com [71]ç²¤è¯ [72]voacantonese.com [73]ä¸æ [74]voachinese.com [75]Bahasa Indonesia [76]voaindonesia.com [77]ááááá [78]khmer.voanews.com [79]Khmer [80]voacambodia.com [81]íêµì´ [82]voakorea.com [83]ລາວ [84]lao.voanews.com [85]à¹à¸à¸¢ [86]voathai.com [87]à½à½¼à½à¼à½¡à½²à½ [88]voatibetan.com [89]Tiếng Viá»t [90]voatiengviet.com Africa [91]Afaan Oromoo [92]voaafaanoromoo.com [93]á ááá [94]amharic.voanews.com [95]Bambara [96]voabambara.com [97]Français [98]voaafrique.com [99]Hausa [100]voahausa.com [101]Kinyarwanda / Kirundi [102]radiyoyacuvoa.com [103]Ndebele [104]voandebele.com [105]Português [106]voaportugues.com [107]Shona [108]voashona.com [109]Soomaaliga [110]voasomali.com [111]Kiswahili [112]voaswahili.com [113]áµááá [114]tigrigna.voanews.com [115]Zimbabwe [116]voazimbabwe.com Middle East/North Africa [117]ÙØ§Ø±Ø³Û [118]ir.voanews.com [119]ÙÙØ±Ø¯Û [120]dengiamerika.com [121]Kurdi [122]dengeamerika.com [123]Türkçe [124]amerikaninsesi.com Latin America [125]Creole [126]voanouvel.com [127]Español [128]voanoticias.com [129]The Americas Amid Crisis, Haiti Wants to Save Oil Used in Fine Perfumes By Associated Press June 28, 2019 01:48 PM Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comments LES CAYES, HAITI - High up in the hills of rural Haiti, where some women sit topless on porches and bleating goats break the silence, a group of men gather roots to produce an essential oil used in fine perfumes ranging from Chanel to Guerlain. Then they load heavy bales of the beige, stringy roots culled from the vetiver plant on each other's backs as clouds of dirt envelop their bodies and a deep musty smell fills the air. In the poorest country of the Western Hemisphere, this is ground zero for a multimillion-dollar industry responsible for more than half the world's vetiver oil. "It's our biggest income right now," said Hilaire James, a Haitian agronomist with Catholic Relief Services. "I call it legal cocaine." Pierre Leger smells a perfume at the Frager's vetiver factory, in Les Cayes, Haiti. Pierre Leger smells a perfume at the Frager's vetiver factory, in Les Cayes, Haiti. Vetiver oil - which is also used for cosmetics, soaps and aromatherapy - is the one bright spot in a flailing agricultural industry in Haiti beset by widespread erosion, lack of funding and extreme weather conditions including droughts and floods. But the country's deepening economic crisis is now threatening a sector that generates an estimated $12 million a year and employs anywhere from 15,000 to 60,000 farmers, the majority of whom are based in the southwest region where good soil, mild temperatures and ocean winds allow fields to flourish. While it takes at least a year for vetiver roots to reach their ideal length to produce a top golden-brown oil, a number of farmers are unable to wait a full year to get paid. As a result, they are increasingly harvesting plants too early in the season, possibly affecting the oil's quality, said Hervil Cherubin, director of Heifer International charity in Haiti. "This is the hardest part," he said. "If we can't keep the quality of the product, the whole industry will collapse." Thomas Absolue, 64, harvests vetiver roots, used to produce an essential oil used in fine perfumes, on a farm in Les Cayes, Haiti. Thomas Absolue, 64, harvests vetiver roots, used to produce an essential oil used in fine perfumes, on a farm in Les Cayes, Haiti. Haiti produces more than 70 tons of vetiver oil a year, surpassing Indonesia, China, India, Brazil and the neighboring Dominican Republic. It is one of the country's top exports, with up to 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) harvested annually. But more than 60% of the crop still comes from individual producers, many of whom are struggling financially, according to Gabriel Gelin, a spokesman for the United Nations Environment Program in Haiti. "Desperate producers, in order to seek out additional income, cannot wait for an annual cultivation and end up extracting the roots earlier," he said in a statement. The majority of vetiver farmers make less than $2 a day, with 90% overall saying the crop is their sole income, according to a 2018 study commissioned by Heifer International and New York-based International Flavors & Fragrance, Inc. Many of those farmers have been hit hard by Haiti's record inflation and face steep increases in the price of food, utilities and transportation. Clerme Elmacide stands amid bales of vetiver roots at a plant in Les Cayes, Haiti. Clerme Elmacide stands amid bales of vetiver roots at a plant in Les Cayes, Haiti. Among them is Richard Lelion, a 59-year-old who has been working in vetiver fields in the mountains that surround the coastal city of Les Cayes since the age of 10. He has seven children, including three sons who used to help him but have since migrated to the South American country of Chile in search of a better life. For now, they are able to send him enough money so he can keep buying roots and planting them. "Everything is expensive,'' Lelion said, adding that there are no other jobs in the area. "Death is the only thing that will separate us from vetiver." On a recent weekday, a rooster crowed as women carried buckets of water on their heads and workers hunched over hundreds of thousands of grass-like vetiver plants. The plant is in the same family as corn and sugarcane, and it grows up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall, with the roots pushing as far as 13 feet (4 meters) deep in the denuded brown hills. Workers load vetiver roots into vats to be processed at the Frager's factory in Les Cayes, Haiti. Workers load vetiver roots into vats to be processed at the Frager's factory in Les Cayes, Haiti. Some workers hacked the growth with a machete while others pulled up roots that were then beaten with a wooden club to clear the dirt. Before the oil can be bought by top perfumers, roots must also be distilled to their essence in a process that takes more than 24 hours. Thomas Absolue, 64, leaned against a bale of roots as he ate rice from a small, recycled plastic tub. He used to harvest sugarcane in the Dominican Republic before returning to Haiti in 1982, lured by the essential oil. "Vetiver gave me everything I have: house, school for kids, food for my family,'' he said. "As long as I'm alive, I'll work in vetiver fields. It's what saves us.'' But increasingly early harvests are also leading to erosion, yet another problem threatening the industry. Vetiver roots, used to produce an essential oil used in fine perfumes, at the Frager's factory in Les Cayes, Haiti. Vetiver roots, used to produce an essential oil used in fine perfumes, at the Frager's factory in Les Cayes, Haiti. While the vetiver plant is known for helping prevent soil from wearing away, culling it too soon worsens the issue, especially if entire plots are pulled up at one time, which happens often. That's partly because the soil around the plant is dug up to 16 inches (40 centimeters) deep and is even more vulnerable after the harvest if it's on a steep slope or starts raining, according to the U.N. Vetiver also thrives in harsh conditions and does not tolerate shade or plants of other varieties, meaning additional crops cannot be introduced to maintain the soil between rows. "The difficulty in fixing this issue is a mix of technical, social and economic reasons,'' Gelin said. Workers prepare stringy roots culled from the vetiver plant, at a factory in Les Cayes, Haiti. Workers prepare stringy roots culled from the vetiver plant, at a factory in Les Cayes, Haiti. The more often farmers ignore the recommendation of cultivating during the dry season that runs from December to August, however, the more likely they are to further erode the land - and their own future, he added. Some have formed cooperatives in recent months to educate farmers about best practices, but Cherubin and others say more must be done if Haiti wants to save its vetiver oil industry. "It's a competitive market,'' he said. "If we mess it up, we all lose.'' Related Stories OAS Permanent Council Chair, US Ambassador Carlos Trujillo, Gonzalo Koncke, chief of staff for OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, President Jovenel Moise and Foreign Minister Bocchit Edmond. [130]The Americas [131]OAS Delegation Visits Haiti Amid Demands for President's Ouster Haiti requested meeting in hopes of facilitating national dialogue to resolve political impasse Default Author Profile By [132]Sandra Lemaire June 20, 2019 Thousands protest against corruption in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, June 16, 2019. [133]The Americas [134]Haiti's Anti-Corruption Protesters Refuse to Back Down on Demands PetroChallengers insist President Jovenel Moise's resignation is non-negotiable Default Author Profile By [135]Sandra Lemaire June 17, 2019 Haitian journalists, joined by supporters, march in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday to demand justice for their murdered colleague, Petion Rospide, June 16, 2019. [136]The Americas [137]Haiti Journalists Demand Justice for Murdered Colleague Hundreds participate in silent protest Sunday to honor radio journalist Petion Rospide who was shot and killed by unknown gunman after reporting on anti-corruption demonstration Default Author Profile By [138]Sandra Lemaire June 16, 2019 Protesters throw trash on street during a demonstration against President Jovenel Moise in Gonaïves, Haiti, June 14, 2019. [139]The Americas [140]Anti-Corruption Protests Sweep Haiti's City of Independence PetroChallenger activists vow to keep protests going until president resigns Default Author Profile By [141]Sandra Lemaire June 14, 2019 Default Author Profile Written By [142]Associated Press (Submit) (Submit) (Submit) (Submit) (Submit) (Submit) [143]Twitter [144]Instagram [145]Facebook [146]YouTube [147]RSS Search VOA News ____________________ (Submit) Search * [148]United States [149]US Politics + [150]Immigration + [151]All About America + [152]Silicon Valley and Technology * World News [153]Africa + [154]The Americas + [155]East Asia + [156]Europe + [157]Middle East + [158]South & Central Asia * Sections [159]Arts & Culture + [160]Day in Photos + [161]Economy & Business + [162]Extremism Watch + [163]Press Freedom + [164]Science & Health + [165]VOA StudentU + [166]VOA Connect * Voice of America [167]About VOA + [168]Contact VOA + [169]Terms of Use and Privacy Notice + [170]Get Our Mobile App + 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