Total Focus Groups with Mango Producers for Haiti Hope

Focus Group Ennery

Participants

Belhomme Manette; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Market woman. farmer; 2yrs in Cell ; None
Acceus Junette; Female; 55 years; 7 children; Midwife. farmer; 2yrs in Cell; None
Joseph Jocelyn; Male; 45 years; 6 children; Businessman; 2yrs in Cell; Matènel
Estimable Emmanuel; Male; 48 years; 7 children; Farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 9eme anne
Casseus Ordine; Male; 37 years; 5 children; Masonary. Painter; 2yrs in Cell; 9eme anne
Chevet Belhomme; Male; 36 years; 5 children ; Cook; 3yrs in Cell; 3eme anne
Dolcius Dolce; Male; 60 years; 3 children; Farmer; None; None
Zefi Dadou; Female; 29 years; 4 children; Market woman; 3yrs in Cell; None
Jean Matilia; Female; 45 years; 6 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None
Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto
Gabriel Mexil; Male; 40 years; 1 child; Masonary; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne
Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne
St. Jn Raymond; Male; 41 years; 2 children; Farmer. painter; 3yrs in Cell; 9eme anne
Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne
Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary. grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane
Egzilia Valeris; Female; 48 years; 5 children; None; None
Philistin Noncilia; Female; 53 years; None; Market woman. farmer; 3yrs in Cell; None
Zephir Olivier; Male; 41years; None; Seller; 3yrs in Cell; 7eme anne
Jean Mousline; Female; 20 years; 2 children; Market woman; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne

Responses Begin

#1 Belhomme Manette; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Market woman, farmer; 2yrs in Cell ; None: Yes, my name is Manette. I am a member in the Cell Leve Kanpe. It is possible for you to plant more mango trees but you are not taking care of the trees like the person making more money. The person who plants less cleans his trees more. You take better care of your mangoes than someone who has more trees. A producer can have 100 mango trees and I have only 10 trees but I make more money than him.

Thank you. Would someone else like to add something?

(Silence)

(You can hear pounding in the background.)

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane:[1]My name is Belhomme Dieuphene. The 85% ha-has more mangoes but they-they are making less-less profit. The re-reason is that they- they are not selling like the 84%. Because of the train-training the 84% received they have a-a guarantee on the profit.(Someone is coughing) That-that is why he can have 6 mango trees and he-he is making more money because he has-has a guarantee and he is not sell-selling to the outside buyers. The 85% would climb their trees and shake the trees so the mangoes can fall on the ground so they can sell them. Now they are not-not getting any profit from that. They are al-also cutting their trees but the 84% are not cut-cutting their trees because their tree-trees are more value-valuable to them.

Ok. I understand. But I want you to understand why they are planting more but not in the sense where some mango trees are bearing more fruit or that producer in program earning money. Let’s just look at planting. Why are producers who are not in a Cell planting more mango trees than producers who are in a Cell.

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane: Ok ok.

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: My name is Fils Aime Madame Marikam. What I found with the 85% that are planting more is that they think with a big quantity that they can make more profit. But the advantage we get with Technoserve is that if we want to plant a 100 trees we have timing to do that. Technoserve gave us trainings on how to plant trees and also how to succeed in planting. These other producers plant without guidance. They plant anywhere they could find a place to plant. But as for us, if we want 20 or 50 it’s a profit for our community and also a personal profit.

(Silence)

Presentation continued on the changes on how many mangoes was considered to be a dozen.

In 2010 before the program a dozen mangos was 20 mangoes. In 2013 a dozen was 16 mangoes. Now in 2015 a dozen mangoes is 14 mangoes.

The presentation continued on the price change for a dozen mango since the program.

A participant: We have a song about that.

You have a song for that? Sing it to us.

(Public is laughing.)

A participant: Hummm, this how it goes :

Technoserve you are truly good.

Because of you our mangoes are now more valuable in our community.

Technoserve you are truly good.

Because of you our mangoes are now more valuable in our community .

Voltije used to take 18-20 mangoes for a dozen(2x).

Now with the dozen being 14 we are making more money.

Same participant : Hummm, you see now?

(Participants and surveyors are laughing. Surveyors are clapping.)

Is Technoserve buying the mangoes or is it Perry?

Several participants: No, no.

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane: Technoserve is not buying the mangoes but it shows where to sell them.

Several participants:Yes.

Would Perry take 14 in a dozen if it wasn’t for Technoserve?

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane: No he wouldn’t. It-it is because of Technoserve. Technoserve showed us the way by taking us to Perry’s house to sell-sell our mangoes.

What do you think if Technoserve leaves?

A participant : Ohhh it would not be good for us at all

#16 continues : That will not be good for us. That will not be good for us because we still need it. We need Technoserve to open more doors for us.

Do you think a dozen mango will always be 14?

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane: No, no. We are waiting for it to go lower. We are waiting for that.

(Several other participants are saying no and that the dozen will go lower than 14.)

(Silence)

Are you aware producers who are not in a Cell are making a profit?

A female participanti: The Voltijes.

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane: Excuse me if I interrupted you.

You are allow to interrupt me.

(Public is laughing.)

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane: Now the Cell have ruined it for the Voltijes because we are buying at 28 gourdes per dozen. The Voltijes see that if they don’t increase their price they won’t get mangoes so-so they have to buy at 28 gourdes per dozen too.

They have to increase their price too.

Participant continues: They have to increase their price too. That means everyone-everyone (Another participant is talking in the background.) is the same now. Also this year we had to increase the price, hummm I believe it was 30 gourdes per dozen, they also increased their price too. You can see we are to increase the price for mangoes.

Before the program all producers were selling at the same price. In 2010 a dozen was 14 gourdes now it is 42 gourdes. Remember we spoke about what an average is? It is by average we found that number. That is a 200% increase.

Several Participants: We are praying for that.

It’s already happening now.

(Laughing)

The presentation continued on describing the market for the mango production. It also described the difference between then and now.

Could you have gone to sell at the Packing House without the help from Technoserve?

( Silence)

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: In a sense I can say maybe yes maybe no. What I want to say if Technoserve leaves we can still go to the Packing House. Why? Technoserve had given us a certificate. It had trained us and also helped us get access to the Packing House. Technoserve had given us a market to go to. Technoserve also showed us how keep a successful business. Yes we can go now. But we wouldn’t be able to go if it wasn’t for Technoserve. We would be doing it like the Voltije. Instead of going directly to the Packing House like now we would take our mangoes to the Local Contractor who then take the mangoes to the Big Contractor who would take them to the Packing House. Thanks to Technoserve who has showed us how to be a team and created the Cell for us. Maybe if Technoserve leaves we might still get the ristoun[2]. But we know we will get an adjustment.

What about if Perry close his Packing House?

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: The way Technoserve trained us if Perry closes his Packing House we will look for another Packing House to sell our mangoes. If the mangoes are in this house and we can’t find a door to get them outside we will break down the walls; if the walls can’t be broken we climb through the roof. That was how Technoserve trained us.

A participant said and laughing at the same time : That was the training we got.

Does that mean that before Technoserve producers were not selling directly to the Packing House?

Several participants : No, no. They didn’t go.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto:Yes, before Technoserve Voltijes from Gros Mornes were buying our mangoes and selling them in Port au Prince. Now with the coming of Technoserve the Cells had put Gros Morne down. With Technoserve we sent them all home. Before Technoserve it was them who were taking our mangoes, us from Savanne Carrè.

Are they still coming?

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: No. Since then the door was closed.

There are no Voltije coming here anymore to buy mangoes?

A participant: No. Not often

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: Well, there is only one person, in the community, that is still here. Besides him only a few come. You understand? There are a few that still come. The Cell has stopped them in the whole community.

When you said the community who in the community do you mean? Everyone?

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: No, I mean the producers.

Is there several people from the community who are Voltije

Several participants: No. Only 1 person is a Voltije.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: No. There is only 1 person.

Is he a Local Contractor? Does he buy a lot of mangoes?

Public : Yes

Does he buy at a good price?

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: Good ! (Another participant : He is following us ! Well, now he is following the Cell. When the Cell goes up he follows too.

Was he/she here before the Cells?

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: Yes, he was here before. (Another participant: He was here before.)

Was he here buying mangoes then ?

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: Yes, he used to buy mangoes.

So now he is giving a better price?

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: Now-now[3] when he sees he won’t get any mangoes he follows Technoserve. Now he increases his price. He is buying at 30 gourdes per dozen like the Cell.

#19.Zephir Olivier; Male; 41years; None; Seller; 3yrs in Cell; 7eme anne: Yes. My name is Zephir Olivier. What I want to say is if Technoserve didn’t come to community of Enerry my friend it would have been a big deficit for us. And from the beginning the old members said the first step was to start. They said we will start from 2 gourdes to 6 gourdes, and then we will go 12 gourdes to 20 gourdes. Finally with Technoserve and this program, well my man we don’t have the 2 gourdes price anymore.

The Voltije we have now, I can say he is someone who has big quantity of mango trees. The strategy he uses is each time we have meetings he would attend the meetings or he is in the surrounding area where the meeting is being held. He is taking hints from us on how to do his business.

This year I made a remark. If he sees we are not doing any activities in the Cell he gets suspicious. Well, why is that? Because when we are not doing any activities he cannot do his own activities too. So each time he needs to do something he takes some hints from us. He is taking hints from us but he cannot do exactly what we do.

Once I met that Voltije and he said, “Olivier, I feel like you are breaking me because I met a producer he said that you are buying at 32 gourdes per dozen.” “At 32 gourdes per dozen? I am in the program and I don’t know this price.” I said. I knew he was trying to get information on the mango price from me but I stayed cool. He waited until we set the price at 32 gourdes per dozen than he set his own price at the same rate. Do you understand? That means he is using the same price we are using.

In the past all the Packing Houses were talking about mangoes from Gros Mornes but those mangoes were actually coming from us. Those mangoes they were selling were coming from our strength. The Voltijes from Gros Mornes used to play us. They would come and buy our mangoes and sell at the Packing Houses. Instead of telling the mangoes were from Enneri they said the mangoes were from Gros Mornes. That wasn’t true. It was our mangoes that made them successful. Well, my friend if Technoserve was already here before the time it came I won’t be that skinny.( Public laughing) We producers would be better off. Understand? My friend Technoserve is great thing. We make more money now. We produce more mangoes now.

In the past did you discuss the price for the mangoes?

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane: No.

Ok. You can speak.

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane:Yes. Be-before it was the producers who were picking the mangoes. (A participant is coughing.) They would just climb the mango tree and shake it. After they wou-would fill up their basket and sell them. At-at that time how much was in the dozen? 20 mangoes, they were taking 20 mangoes for a dozen.

Did you call that number a dozen in the past?

Public : No. Yes. We were giving them 50 mangoes back then.

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane: Listen. Listen. They took 18 or 20 for a dozen. Well, that means for how much money? They paid 10 gourdes or 12 gourdes for the dozen. Both numbers are the same thing. When-when Technoserve came it showed us the way. That was when we got a good price.

Last year how much did we buy the mangoes? We brought the dozen at 27 gourdes. To show you, when they heard we’re paying 27 gourdes they raise their price to 27 gourdes too. How much were they paying before that? They were buying at 25 gourdes.

They know they won’t find any mangoes so they started buying at the same price as we are buying. Now this year again when we raise the price to 28 gourdes, they raise their price 28 gourdes too.

But the problem we have is that we don’t have cash to-to buy and pay at the same time.

But the Voltijes they have cash. The same time you pick the mangoes and sell the mangoes to them they count your money and give it to you. As for us, we have to go to the Packing House first. When we come back we need to sign the check before we can pay the producers.

It is only the Cell members who have the heart to wait for their money. The other producers cannot wait. You need to pay them at the time of buying.

That- that is why the Voltijes will always be here. If we had cash we would pay at the time of buying. My man, I am telling you we will always have the Voltijes. That’s why we can say this year is good year for us. This year, hummmm, Technoserve promised us a loan.

Does the Packing House pay the same price for all kind of mangoes even the mangoes are not good quality?

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane: No, only the beautiful ones.

Several participants: No. No. We sell them to Madame Sarah. We leave the bad ones on the tree to sell to Madam Sarah. The Packing House only buys the beautiful ones.

What about the Madame Sarah price has it increased too?

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane: No. No. It’s different.

Public: No. No. No. The price is different. It’s different.

Do you sell them per dozen or per basket?

A participant: The Madame Sarah don’t buy per dozen.

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane: The Madame Sarah don’t buy per dozen

A participant: Per basket, the Madame Sarah buy per basket.

(Several participants are talking at the same time.)

How would you compare the price the Madame Sarah used to give in the past with the price they are buying now?

(Several participants are talking at the same time.)

A participant: One after the other, speak one by one.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: As for the Madame Sarah, when we pick the mangoes we pick all the good ones and leave the bad ones on the trees to sell to the Madame Sarah. Then the producer will call the Madame Sarah and set a price for all the mangoes on the tree.

Someone climbs the tree to pick all the mangoes on the tree. The Madame Sarah will then take the mangoes to the local markets. As for the price they pay, it depends on when they are buying the mangoes. They can buy them for less or for more. If the local markets are overflowing with mangoes, well, they will pay less.

All the good mangoes are sold per dozen. All the bad ones are sold to the Madame Sarah to sell at the local markets. That is how it is.

Ok. Do you only sell the leftover mangoes to the Madame Sarah? What about the Voltijes don’t they buy some of these mangoes?

Public: No.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: They don’t buy them.

The Voltijes only want good quality mangoes?

Several participants: Yes. They want beautiful mangoes too.

How many times do you pick mangoes from the tree?

Public: Several times, we pick mangoes several times.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: The mango has several stages to be ready. Well, we went through the first stage and take the ones that are ripe. After 2 or 3 days we pick more. The mangoes ripen faster as you start picking them. Again after couple of days you pick some more until you’re done picking all the good ones. Then we-we tell the producer he can do whatever he wants with the rest.

You decided not to take them because you know you won’t sell the mangoes at the Packing House?

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: Yes. Yes, the leftover has marks on them. Only at the local market you will sell them.

(Several participants are talking among themselves.)

How many times can a producer pick mangoes from 1 tree?

Public: 3 times. That depends on the harvest. That depends on how his harvest was prepared.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: That depends on the producer’s harvest. Some mangoes bear fruits in several stages. Do you understand? You pick the ones that are ready and then come back for more.

Would someone like to add more? How many times do you take mangoes to the Packing House?

#17.Egzilia Valeris; Female; 48 years; 5 children; None; None: 3 times

You pick mangoes to send to the Packing House about 3 times?

#17.Egzilia Valeris; Female; 48 years; 5 children; None; None: Yes.

#4.Estimable Emmanuel; Male; 48 years; 7 children; Farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 9eme anne: Well, my name is Emmanuel. I am a member for the Cell Men nan Men[4]. Last year we made a discovery. The Voltije almost cheated us. The reason was because we sold Organic mangoes in the equitable market.

Well, this year all of the members, most of the members were supposed to sell at the Organic market but most of our members names didn’t make the list. What happened is that less of our members sold at the Organic market. Most of them sold their mangoes at conventional market instead.

Well, the Voltije made a profit on that because we had fewer producers who sold Organic. The amount he made this year is more than what he made last year. That Voltije is making more money because we have more producers that are following us. Well, people say that the Voltije has cash and we don’t. But we have the ristoun and he doesn’t. The ristoun is hope for producers.

Some producers are selling their mangoes elsewhere because we don’t have a market for Equitable mangoes.

At what price were they selling?

#4.Estimable Emmanuel; Male; 48 years; 7 children; Farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 9eme anne: Both were the same price except producers in the Equitable market will not get a ristoun.

They still get a good price but not a ristoun?

#4.Estimable Emmanuel; Male; 48 years; 7 children; Farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 9eme anne:Yeah! They-they, some producers are being abused because they had to sell their mangoes to the Voltije and they will not get a ristoun.

Was it because the Packing House did want to buy more mangoes?

#4.Estimable Emmanuel; Male; 48 years; 7 children; Farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 9eme anne: Non. No. No, it wasn’t because of that. They get pay faster. They pay them faster.

#6. Chevet Belhomme; Male; 36 years; 5 children ; Cook; 3yrs in Cell; 3eme anne: My name is Belhomme. I am a member at Cell Leve Kanpe[5]. I can say from 2013 to 2014 we were on top of our game in the Cell. As producers, in 2014 we sold a lot of mangoes. We sold both organic and Equitable mangoes.

As for this year, our names did not come out on the Organic or the Equitable list. Our name came out on the Conventional list. I can say there is no profit when you sell on the Conventional market.

When we looked at 2014 we made enough money and we made money for development in the community. The money for development, we fixed the pipes to bring water from far away to the community. All the producers got water, both those who sold and those who didn’t sell mangoes. At this moment I want to say the Organic and Equitable mangoes are better profit for the producers. But this year we didn’t get a code. Our names didn’t come out on the Organic or Equitable lists.

Well, these producers said that they would rather sell to the Voltije instead of selling to the Cell because the Cell was buying the mango at 30 gourdes per dozen and the Voltije was paying the same price. They preferred selling to the Voltije because they got their money at the time of selling. But the Cell would have to pay them after the mangoes were sold at the Packing House.

Is it for that reason we are asking Technoserve to find more markets for us so the producers name can come out of the list. We want to stop the Voltije who is here from getting mangoes because the bonus is a benefit for the community. There are more works that need to be done in the community.

In the 2014 we had the chance to send our children to school but as for this year we sold our mangoes to the Voltije. There is no profit this year for us and we won’t be able to send our children to school. There is no profit to even buy an animal but in 2014 we did buy animals.

If we look careful the price went up but you said you are not making a profit.

#6. Chevet Belhomme; Male; 36 years; 5 children ; Cook; 3yrs in Cell; 3eme anne: Yes, the price went up. Let me tell you in what sense I say we didn’t make a profit. We didn’t make a profit because the mangoes were sold to the Voltije.

That doesn’t make any sense.

#6. Chevet Belhomme; Male; 36 years; 5 children ; Cook; 3yrs in Cell; 3eme anne: What I said is that in 2014 it was better for us.

Let’s take an example. If I brought something for 10 gourdes and sell lit for 15 gourdes I made a profit of 5 gourdes. I don’t see where you are not making a profit. Now you are selling the dozen 30 gourdes and before it was 15 gourdes, you are making a profit of 15 gourdes.

#6. Chevet Belhomme; Male; 36 years; 5 children ; Cook; 3yrs in Cell; 3eme anne: Yes. I know I am making a profit of 15 gourdes. Ok. I know that. The profit from 2014 was because of the ristoun. This year there is no ristoun because the mangoes were sold in the conventional market. When you sell at the conventional market there is no ristoun. If we don’t have a ristoun we cannot invest in the community.

Ok. That means you made less money this year?

#6. Chevet Belhomme; Male; 36 years; 5 children ; Cook; 3yrs in Cell; 3eme anne: Yes. I made less money.

We have people here who are not talking. We would like for everyone to participate.

(Several participants started taking at the same time.)

A male participant: I didn’t say anything because I don’t participate in anything.

You are not PBG member? You are not in a Cell? Do you have mangoes? Do you sell mangoes? Did you sell mangoes to a Voltije?

Participant continues: No.

Do you have mango tree?

Participant continues: I have a few trees but they are not producing yet.

Did you plant them?

Participant continues: Yes.

Did you buy these trees?

Participant continues: God made me get some and I have others that were grafted; but they are producing yet.

Did you get them from the Cell?

Participant continues: No, I didn’t.

How many trees do you have?

Participant continues: I don’t have a lot of trees but I planted some. I planted several trees. As I work on the farm I plant mango trees.

Where do you get young mango trees to plant? Do you get them from the Cell or do buy them?

(Several participants are talking at the same time.)

Participant continues: No, we do our own nursery. I was in the Cell before but I stopped because there was nothing interesting for me.

(Several participants are talking at the same time.)

You didn’t have mangoes to sell at that time?

Participant continues: Yes

Do you think you will have mangoes next season?

Participant continues: Only God knows.

Public: I have a question. You have to wait.

You can speak.

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: What I want to say on the issue about, hummmm, how many times you can pick mangoes from 1 tree.( Someone is coughing.) Sometimes you can pick mangoes from 1 tree at least 4 times. You go the first time and pick the ones that are ripe and send them to the Packing House. You can go again and again until you pick all the good ones and send them to the Packing House. Now the rest that are not good quality you give them for the local markets.

(Silence)

The Madame Sarah takes everything else?

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne:Yes

Do they take all at once?

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: No, they don’t take all at the same time.

Another participant: Yes, on the local market.

Participant continues: No. The mangoes that are selling at the local markets were picked on the same day. Because …

What if all the mangoes on the tree are not yet ripe?

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: No. If some are small or not yet ripe the Madame Sarah will pick them along with ones that ripen because she buys the whole tree.

She will pick all mangoes on the tree?

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: Yes.

Are all of these mangoes ripe?

Several participants: No.

Who buys these mangoes from them?

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: No.She sells them to buyers who will sell them on the streets.

A participant: Special at home.

Just to be clear, when the Madam Sarah comes, she picks all the mangoes?

(Several participants are talking at the same time.)

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: Wait. Wait, let me tell you. I said, on principal, when we are picking the mangoes for the Cell we go the first time and pick mangoes. We go a second time and pick more mangoes. We can go at least 4 or 5 different times to 1 mango tree. After that we won’t pick more mangoes from the tree for the Cell again.

We are talking about that mangoes that are not yet ripe that are left behind on the tree. The ones that the Packing House will not take which will be sold to a Madame Sarah, what do you do with them?

Public: No. There are no more. On the last stage all the mangoes are ripe. All the mangoes will be ripe on the last stage. All the mangoes. All of them will be ripe.

Can some please clarify this for us?

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: Listen, let me tell you something..,,

(A female participants is talking at the same time as number 13)

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: One thing that I know, when hail falls on the mangoes you cannot send that mango to the Packing House because these mangoes will have worms in them.

But you sell them at the local markets?

Public: Yes.

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: Well, people still buy them. We are not the ones who send them to local markets. We sell them to the Madame Sarah and they sell them at the local markets. Do you understand?

#18.Philistin Noncilia; Female; 53 years; None; Market woman, farmer; 3yrs in Cell; None: Yes. We sort out the good ones. We keep them until they ripen and remove the mangoes with worms and feed them to the pigs. We put the ones in a basket to sell. Someone will eventually buy them.

You keep the green mangoes until they are ripe?

A participant: Yes, we keep the green mangoes until they are ripe.

#18.Philistin Noncilia; Female; 53 years; None; Market woman, farmer; 3yrs in Cell; None: Yes. To make them ripe after we pick them we put them on the floor for 5 to 6 days until they are good.

Where do you sell them? Do you go to Gonaives?

#18.Philistin Noncilia; Female; 53 years; None; Market woman, farmer; 3yrs in Cell; None: I go to Port au Prince. I go to Gonaives. I go to Pestel. I go to St. Marc. Last Sunday I went to Cinquime to sell mangoes.

(A baby can be heard crying.)

Before Technoserve came was there a nursery already?

Public: A nursery? Yes.

Do you plant mango trees?

#18.Philistin Noncilia; Female; 53 years; None; Market woman, farmer; 3yrs in Cell; None: When the person eats a mango he takes the seed and digs a hole and plants the mango seed.

Do you do that?

A participant: Yes.

Where do plant the mango seed?

Public: At the bottom of banana trees.

#18.Philistin Noncilia; Female; 53 years; None; Market woman, farmer; 3yrs in Cell; None: It’s like you have a banana bush and you plant it between them so animals won’t be able to get to it.

(Several participants are having a discussion among themselves regarding the nursery.)

Did you do a nursery at that time?

Public: No.

A participant: People were doing both.

Was the nursery some kind of project?

A participant: No, it was with KODEVAP

It was with KODEVAP?

Public: Yes.

What is KODEVAP?

Public: It was an NGO.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: It was an NGO that was working with another NGO named KIYAP

Are they the ones who did the bassin versant (retaining ditches and walls)?

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: Yes, they also did nurseries.

Do you produce more mangoes now or in the past?

Public: We are producing more now. Now we are producing. We produce more now.

Which type of mango did you planted most in the past?

Public : Mango Kon, mango Francis, we planted all kind of mangoes.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: Francis, why did we planted mango Francis ?

In the past?

#11 continues: Yes. We didn’t have what we call graft. That is why were planting Francis. Because when you take the Francis seed and plant it, it grows as mango Francis. Then came along PIYAP with KODEVAP, they grafted other mango trees into Francis.

I understand. Is there another type of mango that grows better than Francis?

Public : Yes

Which mango sells more at local markets?

#18.Philistin Noncilia; Female; 53 years; None; Market woman, farmer; 3yrs in Cell; None: When you take mango Tisia and Francis to the local markets they sell better at the local market than Blan.

Participant continues: When the market women see you bring beautiful mangoes, they themselves took the basket from your head and put it on the ground. You then give them a price for the mangoes. Last Sunday I went to Cinquime and it happened like that. When a market woman sees the mangoes have a beautiful color she will try to take them from you before the others try to take them. That happened to me last Sunday.

How do you sell them, per kivet, basket, or do make piles on the floor?

Public: We sell per basket.

#18.Philistin Noncilia; Female; 53 years; None; Market woman, farmer; 3yrs in Cell; None: We bought baskets and covered them very well to carry the mangoes.

That market woman who buys it from you, how would she sell the mangoes?

(Several participants are talking at the same time.)

A participant: We sell it in large and we sell it retail.

#18.Philistin Noncilia; Female; 53 years; None; Market woman, farmer; 3yrs in Cell; None: We sell it to them per basket and they sell it in small piles (by 3s and 4s).

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: Yes. Yes, there was an incongruity on what they say about picking mangoes. We, producers sell and pick our mangoes about 3 times. Here is why we go at least 3 times: Before the Cells were even formed the Animator were already training us. They made us understand that a mango tree has 4 or 3 types of mango.

There is 1 type that will go to the Packing House to be exported. (Someone is coughing) Another type will be sold on our super markets. Another will be sold on the local markets and 1 type will be left on the tree. That is why we producers who are in a Cell don’t go to a mango tree and shake it for mangoes to fall on the ground. We know how not to waste our mangoes.

Not only do we know how to select our mangoes, we know how much each mango cost. We know all that because of the trainings we got from Technoserve. That is why we are not making the same deficit as in the past.

Now you know how valuable the production is?

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: We know how valuable it is.

Ok. Do you only have mango production around here?

Public: No. We have avocado, breadfruit, grapefruit, sweet oranges.

The things you learn from the Cell, are they applicable to other production?

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: No.

Public: No.

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: We haven’t done it yet with the other fruits because we don’t have a market for them yet. But as soon as we find a market for them, for example we will soon be in the season for avocadoes. After the mango season will be the season for kenep[6]. We have a lot of kenep here.

Do you clean your kenep trees?

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: Yes, we clean them.

Where you doing that before Technoserve?

Public : No.

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: No, we didn’t do it before. It is because of Technoserve that we know the more you clean the trees the more they will bear fruits. You do what is called trimming on the trees. You remove the dead branches and leaves. You remove the branches that are preventing the trees from getting enough sun. When you do these things on your trees you get better profit.

Do you clean breadfruit trees?

Public: We don’t produce breadfruit. We don’t have breadfruit.

A participant: Only a few producers have it.

Another participant: Only a few have it.

Public: Yes, only a few have it

You have avocados, right? Do you have oranges?

Public: Yes.

Does that mean you clean all your fruits?

Public: No. We clean them if they have a dead branch.

A participant: As for the oranges, when they have dead branches we clean them to prevent them from dying. As for the avocado trees mostly we climb them. We climb the trees often. Where we can not reach we will pull the branch down.

#8.Dolcius Dolce; Male; 60 years; 3 children; Farmer; None; None: The reason we keep our farms clean is because Technoserve taught us how to keep them clean and if in the future we are able to find a market to sell all of our products, to sell clean products..

Technoserve taught us how to keep our farms clean. We don’t throw trash or anything that is made with plastic in our farms. We do not burn certain things on the farms.

That is why now you will find all of our farms clean. You see me, if there is a market for avocado you can come to me and we will go to my farm. All of the trees are clean.

Thanks to Technoserve who taught how to keep our farms and our local products clean.

Ok.

#14.St. Jn Raymond; Male; 41 years; 2 children; Farmer, painter; 3yrs in Cell; 9eme anne: My name is St Jn. Reymond. I am a member in the Cell Leve Kanpe. Well, I can say since 2013 Technoserve has opened our eyes in Commune of Ennery esspecially us producers from Savanne Carre. Our eyes were closed. The Voltijes had blinded us.

We producers from the 1st Section were mistreated by the Voltijes. Hummm, I remember in 2013 when I first took mangoes to the Packing House and they asked me where the mangoes are from. When I said from the Commune of Ennery, they said that was the first time they heard of Ennery producing mangoes. That had me thinking. Why? The Voltije were buying the mangoes here but when they got to the Packing House they said the mangoes were form Gros Mornes. But the mangoes were form Savanne Carre.

Now with Technoserve we are trained. I remember that until now, when animator Echoune was giving the trainings I took my megaphone and went to several localities to invite them to the meetings. At that time the Voltije came to one of meetings too. He sat with us and listened to all the trainings we were getting. When he saw that Technoserve was going to be a barricade for him, he got up and left the meeting.

(Someone cleans his throat).

I am telling you, since that time he felt that he has problem. That is why the moment the mango season starts they are always close by trying to hear our price. They are trying to buy at the same price with us. That is giving them a lot of problems.

Here is the problem that we are facing. There was a guy who touched that point already. When the Voltijes know the season is near they go all over the community giving money to the harvesters to buy mangoes for them. They can give about $4,000HT[7] to $5,000HT[8] to each harvester to buy their mangoes. If a producer doesn’t have a good understanding about the Cell, it will be very tempting for them to sell to these Voltijes. Because of the situation of the country people have big needs.

But with training we get from the animator we all waited for the Cell to buy our mangoes. What I want to say to Technoserve, it has opened our eyes because we were blind. Nobody was climbing the trees in the past to clean the mango trees and remove the dead branches. Nobody was trimming the trees. If someone said they did that in the past that is a lie. I will challenge anyone who said he did that in the past.

Now everyone is doing it because of the trainings we got from Technoserve. When the oranges are ripe the producer would get a long stick and pick the oranges. He would just pull the fruits. Nobody was cleaning the orange trees. Back in 2012 to 2013, I used to pass under the mango trees and if a mango falls on the ground you would be afraid to pick that mango up because under the trees were so dirty. The other day I was going to a farm and when I walk under a mango tree and if I was eating something and it falls under the tree I would pick it up and eat it. I would eat that thing now because under the tree is very clean.

That is not a small thing. That is something very beautiful. Why? I will say it is because of Technoserve who has given us good trainings, producers are keeping our farms clean.

Ok. Thank you.

#14.St. Jn Raymond; Male; 41 years; 2 children; Farmer, painter; 3yrs in Cell; 9eme anne: A child will be in big trouble if a parent caught him throwing rocks at a mango tree.

The children don’t throw rocks on the trees? That is a big deal.

Public: (Laughing) No.

#12.Gabriel Mexil; Male; 40 years; 1 child; Masonary; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: I want to say thank you to all the producers and all the organizations that are helping us in the mango production. In the past we didn’t care for our mango trees. Now the mango Francis has great value. We used to cut down the mango trees to make charcoal during hard times. But now instead of cutting down trees we are planting more trees. Many producers who have mango Blan and Fil are grafting them to Francis.

We want to say thank you to Technoserve who has helped us give more value to the mango production. We say thank you to Technoserve for last year’s project, the water project. My house now has plenty of water. The water system was broken and we didn’t have the means to get it fix but because of Technoserve we got it fixed now. I want to say thank you Technoserve.

I also want to ask Technoserve to help us find a market for avocadoes. We produce a lot of avocadoes here and each year they go to waste. We don’t have a place to sell them. We are asking Technoserve to assist us on finding a place to sell them.

Now you know how valuable mangoes are, did you in the past use to cut down trees and make charcoal?

Public: No. Yes. Yes.

Where there more mangoes before?

Public: Yes, they we more back then.

Does that mean you grand parents had more mangoes than you?

Public: Yes. Yes.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: While there was more mangoes but it was not Francis. (Another participant: No.) Yes, there were more mangoes such as mango Fil. (Another participant: Mango Blan) There used to be many mango trees near the river. What has produced more Francis now is the grafting. You understand? Yes, there were more mangoes but they were not Francis. We have more Francis because of grafting.

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane: I can say it is because of grafting that we have Francis in the community. KODEVAP started it then they stopped. Then Technoserve continued with that. Now we have more Francis.

Who is doing graft around here?

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane: KODEVAP.

Was it KODEVAP that started grafting the other mangoes?

Public: Yes. Yes.

Now, are Technoserve technicians the only one doing graft?

Public: Yes.

There is no one else doing it?

Public: No.

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane: No. There is no one else.

Why?

#16.Belhomme Dieuphene; Male; 44 years; 4children; Masonary, grafter; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme ane: There are no other NGOs

(Several participants are talking on the background.)

There no other technician?

Public : Yes, there is.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: But the producer will have to ask him for it.

That would be done in private?

Public : Yes. Yes.

Is there any produce who knows how to do graft?

Public : No.

(Several participants are talking to each other.)

A participant: That is why we are asking Technoserve to help us get trainers to train us on how to do it.

Can you not find someone who knows how to do it and have the person train you?

Public : No.

Is there no one who knows how to graft who will train you?

I want to say something more about the mangoes. I remember that the Cell sold more mangoes last year. We sold 2 types of mangoes, equitable and organic. But this year the Cell only sold Organic and conventional. A lot of producers names didn’t came out of the list. Those whose names came out only sold a small amount of mangoes. Instead of selling the conventional to the Cell the producers sold them to the Voltijes because they have the same price as the Cell. That is why this year the Voltijes brought more mangoes than the Cells. Another problem was you need to schedule before you can go to the Packing House. Maybe that was because all the mangoes were readied at the same time.

Last year in each week we used to send 2 trucks of mangoes to the Packing House but this year we were able to send only 1 truck per week. The Packing House didn’t want to receive too many mangoes.

I don’t know how Technoserve will help us find more places to sell our mangoes. The equitable market helps us a lot. We need to find a market for both organic and equitable mangoes.

Because we sold less this year the money was less. Last year we did the water project for the community. We can say now all producer in Foukette are singing Technoserve you are truly good. We were able to do that project because of the ristoun.

Well, my friends, I hope you all who are here today continue to help us move forward. There was another thing that they used to do but are not doing it anymore. There was a small credit but now it blocked. We don’t know if it is blocked for good or if it will continue. All the members are complaining about it. I don’t how you can help us move it forward.

We heard alot of the advantages from the Cells, is there anyone here who is not in a Cell?

Harvester: Yes, there are people here who are not in a Cell

Another participant: I was before now I stopped.

Harvester: I am not a member but I understand what the Cells are about. I am not a member but I work for the Cells. I am a harvester for the Cells.

On all the questions you asked there is 1 until now that is not answered. The question about what happen to the mangoes that are left on the trees. Some producers said we pick several times from 1 tree, yes we do that. But sometimes the mangoes are left on the trees and go to waste. The reason is how the Packing House is taking the mangoes. If all mangoes are ripe on the tree we pick only 1 time. The Packing House only take mangoes once per week by that time all rest of the mangoes that were left are ripe. Remember the Packing house only takes mangoes that are green. Now all those mangoes will go to waste and will fall on the ground. The Madame Sarah will not buy mangoes that are already on the ground.

When we pick we take the good ones and leave ones that are not yet ripe for the Madame Sarah. The Madame Sarah will sort them out again and picks the best one from the left overs and leaves the rest. The rest of the mangoes will be ripe by now but we still cannot take them because they are already been sold to the Madame Sarah. The Madam Sarah herself is increasing her price at the local markets because the mangoes are getting fewer. She will not sell her mangoes to the Cell.

I want to ask if there is a solution for that, to take the mangoes in bigger quantity instead. For the Packing house now to take mangoes only 1 time a week but several time for the mangoes not to be wasted. I am also asking for the Packing House to take all of the mangoes, both the good and the bad mangoes, but at a different price each.

What have you heard about the Cell that makes you interested in becoming a member ?

Harvester: What do I hear people say about the Cells? When the Cells were first started I was in the Dominican Republic. I was not here for the trainings. I wasn’t present during that time. I heard about them through a harvester who was working for the Voltijes. Then I made contact with Cells to pick mangoes for them. The reason I am interested in the Cells not only for the price, well I won’t get any ristoun, but for the quantity. The Voltijes will want to take 18 for a dozen but not the Cells. I am a harvester but I also have mangoes too. I sell my mangoes at the Cells too. That is why I am supporting the Cells.

Does that mean someone who is not in a Cell can sell mangoes to the Cell?

Harvester: Only because I am a harvester and I know the difference between good and bad mangoes.

(Several other participants are talking on the background.)

That is because you know what good mangoes are? Does that mean the Cells will take mangoes from producers who are not in a Cell?

Public : Yes. No.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto No. Sometimes during the trainings some harvesters are present and they want to pick mangoes for Cells. Do you understand? Because of that they know the difference between good and bad mangoes.

(Several other participants are talking on the background.)

This year the Cells did not take all the mangoes, did you know all the mangoes wouldn’t be taken?

Public: No. We knew that at the end.

(Silence)

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: I have a question to ask you. I want to ask you something. We have mangoes that are black because the land where they are way below. Those trees produce a lot or mangoes.

Black mangoes?

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: They are Francis. We call them Freckle mangoes. Their skin is dark. That doesn’t mean that they are not good. If you taste these mangoes you will not want to eat any other mangoes. They are sweeter than the other Francis.

You should give us some while we are leaving.

Public: Laughing.

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: Hummm, I want to know as a Cell how to get a market to sell these mangoes. These mangoes are mostly left on the trees. They only sell them at the local markets.

Are they paying less for them?

Public: Yes. They are buying them at a low price.

You mean that those trees only bear mangoes like that ? Is that a type of mango?

Public : Yes that is how they bear fruits. It is a type of mango. Even if you clean the trees they still bear fruit like that.

2 Female participants : That mango is sweeter than mango konn.

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: We could go out and bring some for you to taste. I remembered we had Mr. Isaac taste them. He took pictures of them too.

#18.Philistin Noncilia; Female; 53 years; None; Market woman, farmer; 3yrs in Cell; None: Before you leave we will show you some black mangoes.

(Laughing)

Isaac would be in better position to answer that question. What I know is that the international market likes pretty mangoes. It is not the taste that is most interested to them. The mango has to be pretty. Sometimes the fruit might look ugly but it has a great taste and it has more vitamins. But foreigners like pretty fruits.

(Laughing)

Public: Yes. It is sweeter.

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: And also there was another mango we have and that we really like. It has thick skin. The season comes after the Francis season. Another name for it is mango Kodok.

Yes, I know that mango.

#18.Philistin Noncilia; Female; 53 years; None; Market woman, farmer; 3yrs in Cell; None: Perry? It is very big and thick. Do you know if Madame Perry buys that type of mango.

No.

#18.Philistin Noncilia; Female; 53 years; None; Market woman, farmer; 3yrs in Cell; None: Ahh, I was going to say….

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: I was going to say the same thing.

They are not buying mango Kodok anymore?

Public : Non, they are not buying them anymore.

But they used to buy them in the past ?

Several participants : Yes. They used to buy them in the past. It was a long time ago.

Where they buying mango Blan too?

Public : No.

They never buy it ?

Public : No, They won’t buy mango Blan.

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: That is why we are asking for help on finding a market for these mangoes. Seriously, these mangoes are being wasted. If we could find a market to sell them it would be better for us. You see the animator here, when we take our complaints to her, there si nothing she can do. But today we are here with you and we need you to help to find a market for these mangoes. Do you understand?

(Someone is coughing.)

Have you ever try to find another Packing House to sell your mangoes?

Public : No.

A participant: We have not yet done that.

Do you wish to find another Packing House to sell your mangoes?

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: Well, we haven’t. (Several participants are having another conversation.) Only if Technoserve order us to find another Packing House then we will.

If Technoserve does what?

Several participants: If they order us to sell to another Packing House then we will. If Technoserve told us to do it we will do it.

Does that mean until Technoserve tells you to sell to another Packing House you will not sell to another Packing House?

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne:No, we will not do that until Technoserve tells to do it because it was Technoserve who created the Cells.

Public: Technoserve created the Cells. Technoserve is our boss.

If I have a school and I trained you, you don’t have to wait for me to tell you what to do.

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne; Listen. Let me tell you something. For the moment if Technoserve tells us it cannot help us anymore we will look for another place to sell. Technoserve opened our eyes. We don’t want to betray Technoserve. That will not be a good thing.

Do you have the same feeling for Perry as you have for Technoserve?

Several participants: Technoserve gave us Perry.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto:There was another Cell that was selling mangoes to another Packing House. When they got to that Packing House all the other clients sold their mangoes before they can sell theirs. All the mangoes got rotten because of that. As for me, I spoke to Madame Perry. I asked her to give us the possibility to sell more mangoes. When I am at Madame Perry’s Packing House I feel at home because we are inside we can do whatever we want. She spoke well to us and took great care of our mangoes.

Well, our mangoes went through with no problem. That is why we are not rushing for Technoserve to find another Packing House for us because we feel like the other Packing Houses will not give us a warm welcome like Madame Perry. The other Packing Houses don’t treat us nicely but with Madame Perry we feel at home.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto:Yes.

#14.St. Jn Raymond; Male; 41 years; 2 children; Farmer, painter; 3yrs in Cell; 9eme anne: Well, if Technoserve orients us to sell at another Packing House, as for Perry’ Packing House we will always remember that.

You will what?

Participant continues: We will always remember it. Why? That lady, my friend, when you get to the Packing House whether she knows you were coming or not she welcomes you like you are her own child.(Laughing) If all Haitians were like Madame Perry the country would change.( Laughing) Haiti would change. I am talking about how nice about Madame Perry is but the husband is another story. (Public is laughing.) He is another story. That mister I don’t feel comfortable with him. As for Perry he is not nice. If it was for Madame Perry I would still be in Port au Prince right now.

Public: (Laughing) Perry? Perry? (Laughing)

Do you have direct contact with Madame Perry or is it with the Packing House?

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: We only call the Agronomist. You understand. We went from the bottom to the top.

Did you have this opportunity before Technoserve?

Public: No.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: Now we went through the animator who contacted the Agronomist. The Agronomist made the call to Packing House. Ok.

If you get to the Packing House and there is a problem who would you call?

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: We call the animator, the one who trained us. She will know what to do. On the day we arrive Agronomist Richmond tells Madame Perry that we are here. At 7 am she would come and ask for the Cell from Savanne Carre. She is the first person to make contact with us at the Packing House and she would help us get our papers in order.

#14.St. Jn Raymond; Male; 41 years; 2 children; Farmer, painter; 3yrs in Cell; 9eme anne: Let me tell you my story too ! (Everyone is laughing.) The other day I went to the Packing House and mangoes were raining on us[9]. Mangoes were being washed and boxed. Well, we got there, Madame Perry said that mangoes from the Cells should go through first. She made sure our mangoes were the first to go in. Until today I don’t think Technoserve will be able to find a person like Madame Perry who will have this kind of alliance with the Cells.

You know when you sell your mangoes that all the mangoes will not be taken. There will be rejected ones. What do they do with the rejected ones?

#14.St. Jn Raymond; Male; 41 years; 2 children; Farmer, painter; 3yrs in Cell; 9eme anne: He takes the rejected one too.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: He takes the rejected one too. He pays 15 gourdes per crate.

He pays 15 gourdes per crate of rejected mangoes?

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: Yes, per crate.

How many mangoes are in a crate?

(Several participants are talking at the same time. Answers are not clear.)

How many dozen of mangoes are in crate?

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: The crate takes 3 dozen mangoes.

Does that means he buys them for cheap?

(Everyone is talking at the same time.)

A participant: He doesn’t need the rejected ones . The price is 15 gourdes per crate. He just doesn’t need them.

Can you take them back with you if he doesn’t want them?

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: He doesn’t want to. He is not causing trouble but let me tell you that if it was Madame Perry, mhhhhh-smh, in his place she would buy that at better price. Perry takes them for cheap. Sometimes all the mangoes are rotting in the yard and he put them in trucks to be thrown away.

You mean throwing away in the bushes?

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: Yes, in the bushes.

What about if you want to take them back with you?

(Everyone is trying to talk at the same time.)

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: He would not let you do that. Even if we want to take the rejected ones, he would not allow us to take them.

(There is a great discussion between the participants for a few minutes on the topic.)

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: We are selling so if he would let us take them we would sell them on local markets like the Madame Sarah. Well, he doesn’t want to let us take them we have to accept that.

Have you ever ask for permission to take them?

#5.Casseus Ordine; Male; 37 years; 5 children; Masonary, Painter; 2yrs in Cell; 9eme anne: We did ask once. The first time we went to the Packing House we asked to take the rejected ones. He was very angry. He said he would return all the mangoes to us if he gives us the rejected ones.

Who did you ask for that?

#5.Casseus Ordine; Male; 37 years; 5 children; Masonary, Painter; 2yrs in Cell; 9eme anne: blan (foreigner) Perry, he didn’t agree.

Public : (Laughing)

Is Perry a foreigner?

Public: (Laughing) We don’t know.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: He does what works to his advantage because he buys the crate 15 gourdes and resells them for 30 gourdes.

Do you feel that he is betraying you?

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: You understand? He resells it for 30 gourdes right in front of us. At the same time you see pickup trucks taking the mangoes away.

Do you feel cheated?

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: He cheated us.

Have you done anything against that?

Public : No. We have not done anything yet. We can’t do anything.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: Well, instead of going through a misery you sell the mangoes to him the way he wants to buy them.

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: Each time I remember what happened in 2013 I am more grateful towards Mr. Isaac who is assisting us. I feel good because he is a foreigner with a different skin color who doesn’t ignore us. Sometimes you will find people like him who will humiliate Haitians. I felt very happy when Mr. Isaac came to assist us after we called the Agronomist. At the time we didn’t have Madame Islette as the animator for the Cell. When I called the Agronomist telling that we have trouble selling our mangoes, he told us to wait and he will call Mr. Isaac. Our mangoes came from a land that produce mangoes that are little pale. At the Packing House Perry was about to throw all the mangoes away because he thought the mangoes were immature.

I was overjoyed to see Mr. Isaac walking kop kop kop kop[10] and coming to our rescue. The moment I saw him coming was like water pouring on me. “How can I help? I don’t understand. That is how products are. That’s how the land produce them” said Mr. Isaac. Mr. Isaac was our defence on that day.

He took the mangoes. After, Perry took the mangoes. He was embarrassed. He said, “ I will take them. I will take the mangoes. Sort the mangoes for me.” We had brought in 410 dozens mangoes at the end only 32 dozens were rejected. If Mr. Isaac had neglected us the Cell would not have been successful on that day.

I don’t know if was Mr. Isaac who votes for animators, but I am very happy that we have an animator who understands well. Our animator is very patient. Although sometimes she gets quit excited but she is human. Well, she feels comfortable with us because we have succeeded in many things because of her.

Several participants: (Laughing) Sometimes she gets mad at us.

#15 continues: You know she is human that will happen. She takes her role very seriously. Rain or flood won’t stop her from coming. She is coming all the way from Gonaives and the road is very dusty. We want to say thank you to her. She didn’t owe us that. She is helping us.

The Packing House already knows we are coming before we arrive and how much mangoes we are bringing. We also avoid wasting our mangoes this year. This year we said on each trip or Cell will send a 1000 dozens mangoes. Soley Leve said they will send 1500 on each trip. Each Cells said they will send a big amount of mangoes to the Packing House but sometimes we only able to send 1500 dozen with all 4 Cells combined. If it was not for our animator we would make a big deficit.

Perry would have said to us, “What are these? Did you bring rocks here? Throw them away.” (Laughing) I feel very proud because when we got there she said Good morning to us. I am very happy because I was thirsty for that. I really like that. I like cooperation. I like when people greet me. I have 3 years going to Perry’s Packing House and he has never greeted me. Long live Madame Perry! When she sees us she greets. “How are you? I am happy to see you. Have you yet started? When are the mangoes coming?”

I am a human being. Perry is only a foreigner! I am Haitian but I have blood just like Perry. We both breathe the same air. Perry has no right to act like he is better than me.

Is Madame Perry Haitian?

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: No. She is a foreigner but good people. She greets us and talks with us. “Why are you staying in the sun? There is where you can eat. You can go to the back to eat.” Perry said, “Don’t eat here! Here is not for you!” I want to tell him, “ Perry if it wasn’t for me you would not have a Packing House. I am the producer who brings the mangoes here. I am helping you and you are helping me. You have no right to talk to me like that. I am Haitian and I am proud to be a Haitian woman. I know you said that you are American but you need me. We can work together. We breathe the same air.”

Perry is not Haitian?

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: No. (The public is talking and laughing at the same time participant is talking.) I am Haitian and that is why he acts more important than me.

Didn’t you say that he was Haitian?

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: No. He is a foreigner. I told you that I am Haitian.

Mr. Perry is light skin but he is Haitian.

Another participant: No. No. No. He is a foreigner, pure foreigner.

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: Hummmmm, he is Perry Junior. Perry is his father. No, their last name is Perry.

His father is a foreigner?

Public: Yes. Yes.

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne : Both of them are foreigners. He acts like he is better than us.

Public: His father is Perry and he is called Junior.

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: His name is Ralph Perry Junior.

All of you who had spoken said that you don’t want the program to end.

Public : Ohhhh, no. We don’t want it to end.

Don’t forget the program is not here forever. Tell me what you will do to continue making money when the program ends?

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: We will continue ( Another participant : We will continue) because Technoserve showed us how to do business. ( Another participant: Yes.) We are taught management in business. We will continue to practice what we have learned.

A participant : We will continue practice what we had learned.

During that time you have Mr. Isaac and the animators to guide you.

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: That is why when the animators were training us they gave us several examples. One of the example is if we are in this house and the doors are closed, how will we get the mangoes outside? We said we would break the walls. They said if we don’t have anything to break the walls, what would we do? We said that we will go through the ceiling. That means if we don’t have Mr. Isaac to defend us anymore and Madame Perry doesn’t take mangoes from us, we will go to AGWOPAK. If we there is no truck to take us to Port au Prince we will stay in Ponsonde.

Besides more money and the mangoes being more valueable, what other major things has the program done for you?

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: Business management.

Public: Knowledge

#12.Gabriel Mexil; Male; 40 years; 1 child; Masonary; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: The other major thing is water. It brought water to the community. Everyone has water now; they don’t have to go get water elsewhere. That is the biggest accomplishment for the community. If it wasn’t for the ristoun we got we wouldn’t have water now.

I remember there was a water pipe that was broken up there for 8 years. The water never came down here the whole time. We have a project that fixed it half way and until now it still over there. Until now we wouldn’t know when the pipe would come here if it was not for Technoserve. You understand me? You see what happened? These children here will benefit from it. They will know that it was an NGO that trained us and it is the reason why we have water.

It was you who did it?

#12.Gabriel Mexil; Male; 40 years; 1 child; Masonary; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: Yes, we did it because of Technoserve.

Public: Yes. The program.

#14.St. Jn Raymond; Male; 41 years; 2 children; Farmer, painter; 3yrs in Cell; 9eme anne: The biggest knowledge Technoserve gave us is the orchard. We, hummmm, used to plant the small trees freely and the goats or the pigs would come and eat them. Now because of Technoserve everything has changed, because Technoserve gave us wires for the farms. We didn’t know what an orchard was before. We used to plant the trees on top of each other. Now we don’t do that anymore because of Technoserve.

Can’t you have an orchard without wires?

Public: No, you cannot.

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: Because of Technoserve we have the Alpha School that is going strong here. It is teaching the seniors how to write their names. Now they will stop putting crosses for their signature. Sometimes when they go to the bank for money the tellers would yell at them for not being able to write their names. Now these seniors are able to write their names.

Does anyone here know where mango Francis came from?

Public : No. We don’t know.

It was already here when you were growing up?

Public : Yes. It was already here.

(Long silence)

I see that we have a lot of women here, is there a special role for the women in the mango production?

(Everyone started talking at the same time.)

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: Everything men do we do it too. Haitian women are the pillar of life. There is nothing a man can do that a woman cannot do as long as she wants to. Men pick mangoes and I pick mangoes too.

Do women climb trees?

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne: Ohhh ? I will climb 1 for you to see. If it has any dent I will climb it.

(Laughing)

Several women : I can climb too.

#18.Philistin Noncilia; Female; 53 years; None; Market woman, farmer; 3yrs in Cell; None: What the lady said is a big thing. Last Sunday I was going to travel and the mister wasn’t home. There were 2 mango trees, I took my sack and put on a pair of pants. I picked mangoes and sold them for $30HT[11].

#15.Marie Carme Fils Aime; Female; 39 years; 5 children; Seamstress; 3yrs in Cell ; 8eme anne : We pick, carry , wash, select, and transform mangoes. We do everything.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: I have a last word to say. I feel since January that Technoserve is becoming weak. You gave an assumption that if Technoserve leaves what would we do. Well, what would we do? I also know for example if you have a child that you are leaving him behind you will some kind of preparation for him. For example if Technoserve leaves we still have the structures for the Cells to still keep contacts with the Packing House. Even if Technoserve is not here it will be like it still here. That is what I wish for. I would wish for Technoserve to make the arrangement for the Cells to keep selling mangoes at the Packing House.

You don’t feel secure at that point? If you never see Isaac again you won’t feel good about that?

Public: Yes.

(Laughing)

#13.Belhomme Manus; Male; 36 years ; 4 children; Carpenter; 2yrs in Cell; 6eme anne: Yes. What we want Technoserve to do for us is the grafting. The grafting system has stopped. Hummm, I am hoping for it to continue.

But can’t you do the graft on your own?

Public: (Laughing) Yes, we can do it. We can do it.

#11.Darival Elusma; Male; 41years; 2 Children; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell; Rheto: Yes. We also had a credit with the producers. We haven’t seen that credit. It has stopped. The credit was an encouragement for the producers to send their children to school after mango season. We are asking Technoserve to see how it can help us with that.

Lachapelle

Participants

Fleurisca Malvoisin; Male; 60 years; 3 children; Vet; farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 6eme ane
Cleure Jeaune Jeanne; Female; 50 years; 2 children ; Market woman, farmer ; 2yrs in Cell; 4eme ane
Milien Exzame ; Male ; 32 years; 1 child ; Farmer ; Not in a Cell ; 6eme ane
Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Marketwoman; 2yrs in Cell; None
St Fluer Emanyia; Female; 42 years; 6 children; Farmer; 2yrs in Celle; None
Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde
Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane
Louis Teshna; Female; 39 years; 4 children; Market woman; Not in a Cell; 2eme ane
Ernest Dulien; Male; 49 years; 5 children; Carpenter; 3yrs in Cell; Prime

Responses Begin

(Silence)

What we found to be a bit strange in these numbers is that producers who are in Cell have been winning on all aspects over producers who are not in a Cell. They made more money. They had more in everything expected in planting trees. Why is that?

A male participant: They saw these producers are getting an increase so they started planting more.

That is what seems to be strange. Why are producers who are not in a Cell planting more trees? You would think producers who are in a Cell would be planting more trees. It’s not like that. Do you see what we mean?

A participant: Humhmmmm.

(Participant started responding.)

Can you tell us you number, please?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: Number 6. To add, I would say producers who are not in a Cell are planting so they can sell to the Cells. That’s what I think.

(Silence)

Are there other possibilities? We can come back to that question. Let’s continue with the presentation. Presentation continues on the changes in how many mangoes are considered to be a dozen. In 2010, before the program, a dozen mangos was 20 mangoes. In 2013 a dozen was 16 mangoes. Now in 2015 a dozen mango is 14 mangoes.

Do you know this information?

Public: Yes, yes, yes.

(Participants are discussing among themselves on how many mangoes are in a dozen.)

Because of the program a dozen now is smaller. It means buyers used to take all that for a dozen now a dozen is only 14 mangoes.

Public: Yes, yes, yes.

The presentation continues on the price change for a dozen mangoes since the program.

#1 Fleurisca Malvoisin; Male; 60 years; 3 children; Vet; farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 6eme ane: The reason they don’t get a raise is because they don’t organize themselves like we do. They are not in a group. They sell their products without any regard. They are selling to buyers from the outside such as Voltije. They lose all the benefits.

Ok. But if you look at these numbers, they are making a profit. Producers who are in a Cell are making better profit but the other producers are also making a better profit than what they used to make. I agree with what you said. Number 9 you can speak.

#9 Ernest Dulien; Male; 49 years; 5 children; Carpenter; 3yrs in Cell; Prime: Because the Packing House is buying mangoes at a higher price now. Now the outside buyers are paying a higher price for the mango. The producers who are not selling directly to the Packing House are still getting a better price than what they used to make. Producers who are in a Cell sell their product directly to the Packing House. Because the Voltije are not buying mangoes from producers who are in Cell now they have to pay a higher price to the other producers.

Ok. Thank you.

The presentation continued on describing the market for the mango production. It also described the difference between then and now.

Can a producer go to the Packing House by himself to sell mangoes. Ok. Let’s say for example Technoserve is no longer here. Can you as producers get together and surpass the Local Contractor and go directly to the Packing House?

Public: We can. We can.

Have you every thought of that before?

Several participants: We did not know we could. No. Before Technoserve we didn’t know we could.

#9 Ernest Dulien; Male; 49 years; 5 children; Carpenter; 3yrs in Cell; Prime: Technoserve has shown us all the benefits there is in selling our mangoes directly to the Packing House. Now if Technoserve closes we will look for another Packing House to sell our mangoes at a good price. We would sell it ourselves.

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Yes, I would say the same thing. Before the program we didn’t know about selling our mangoes directly to the Packing House. Now thanks to the program we know how to make money on our mangoes and not let it be wasted.

Now do you feel like you can sell you mangoes without the help of Technoserve?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: No. I mean it showed us the route. It showed us the route. We didn’t know it before.

Now you know the route?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None:Yes. Now we know it.

Can you go sell by yourself?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: (Laughing) I can’t go by myself. No. We have to do it with Technoserve because it showed us the route in the first place.

Ok. But you said you knew the route because of the Technoserve.

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None:: No. I can’t do it without Technoserve.

Number 7, would you like to say something?

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane : We used to go before Technoserve was here. But we used to do more work. Before the season starts we would have to leave for Port Prince to find a Packing House that will buy the mangoes from us. If the Packing House agreed to buy the mangos, now you would have to come back and start picking mangoes, put them on a truck and send to Port au Prince. That process was not very organized. The mangoes were not being sold for a good price. The only person making money were the Packing House owners. Even for Madame Perry it was difficult. Now, thanks to Technoserve, when we are picking mangoes the Packing House already knows Lachapelle is picking mangoes and the mangoes should arrive on a specific day. When you get to the Packing House you find a place to sell your mangoes. We now have a guarantee because of Technoserve.

Ok. From all you learned from Technoserve, because you said you used to go before but now it is easier for you, (Yes) what have you learned that made the process easier for you?

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane : Thanks to the trainers who have been giving us good trainings. They trained us. We pick our mangoes and sell to the Packing House. We make more money because of Technoserve.

What is the most important thing you have learned in all the trainings?

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane : The most important thing we learned is how to treat our mangoes. How to better manage the trees to make more money in the production.

What do you mean by treatment? Are you talking about the picking process?

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane : Yes. Yes.

Picking is more important to you? What do you mean by that?

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane: How for you to give better treatment to the mangoes. You wash your mangoes. You dry them so they won’t get burnt. When we get to the Packing House we have beautiful mangoes.

Do you think that process is more important than trimming the trees?

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane : Yes. It’s more important than how we used to do it. The way Technoserve showed us is better.

Ok. Number 1

#1 Fleurisca Malvoisin; Male; 60 years; 3 children; Vet; farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 6eme ane: There are other chemical products that we should not use on our farms especially where we have mango trees. Also to take better care when we are picking mangoes.

Is there someone else who would like to say more? Number 5

#5 St Fluer Emanyia; Female; 42 years; 6 children; Farmer; 2yrs in Celle; None: Technoserve went further than that. We now know how to trim and wash our mangoes. We now know how to get better quality mangoes. Our mangoes do not have maggots anymore. We don’t tie animals on the farms. We also don’t leave plastic bags on the farms. We harvest better mangoes now.

(A car is driving by)

What does it do for you when you trim you trees?

#5 St Fluer Emanyia; Female; 42 years; 6 children; Farmer; 2yrs in Celle; None: Yes. When we didn’t trim our trees a branch would come all the way on top and goes way down to produce fruits. When that happens we lose money. Now when we trim the trees they produce bigger and better mangoes. We have better quality mangoes.

Do you really see a change?

#5 St Fluer Emanyia; Female; 42 years; 6 children; Farmer; 2yrs in Celle; None: Yes!

Just by trimming the trees you get better quality mangoes? You didn’t know that before?

Public: No.

#5 St Fluer Emanyia; Female; 42 years; 6 children; Farmer; 2yrs in Celle; None: We thought if we did not clean that trees they would produce more. We thought not cleaning them was better for us but it was not better for us.

Number 4, would you like to say something else?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Yes. Another major thing Technoserve did for us is that our mangoes do not get wasted. Technoserve gave us training on how to pick our mangoes. We have a keyet[12] to pick them. Technoserve taught us how to sort our mangoes. When we used to sell before Technoserve the buyers would pick all the mangoes on tree and leave the ones that were not yet ready on the ground. Our mangoes used to be wasted during that time. Now Technoserve has showed us how to sort the mangoes during harvest. Now we are making more money. There is deficit for us producers.

Ok. I want to ask another question. Yes, number 5.

#5 St Fluer Emanyia; Female; 42 years; 6 children; Farmer; 2yrs in Celle; None: To add more on what has been said, for all the good work Technoserve has been doing all over the country, Technoserve has helped the country a lot. First of all, when the Voltije used to buy mangoes from us we would sell them mangoes on credit and they never come back to pay us. Technoserve brought a program in the country that is supporting us. We are now selling our mangoes to a Packing House. Technoserve has done many good things for us. We are able to get credit to help us by sending our children to school. Also with that credit you can go to a bank and get a loan. With that loan you can buy a motor taxi or something else. Now we are functioning better because of Technoserve. In the past you would just go to a mango tree and start shaking it without any regard for whether all the fruits were ripe and ready to be picked and sold. Technoserve taught us which mangoes are ready to be picked and which are not. Further more, we now know what an organic or a conventional mango is. It tells us at what price each one should be sold. Now for those producers who are not in a Cell….(Too much background talking can’t hear what participant said next.)

Ok. You said Technoserve taught you which mango is ready to pick? (Yes) Does that mean you harvest from one tree more than once?

#5 St Fluer Emanyia; Female; 42 years; 6 children; Farmer; 2yrs in Celle; None: Yes, yes, yes.

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None:: No. It has a season.

Can you harvest more than 1 time from a tree?

Public: Yes, during the season. You need to call the Packing House in advance. Before you start picking you have to call the Packing House and let them know,

If you see that the mangoes are almost ready and you call the Packing House, how long can the mangoes stay on the trees before they get spoiled?

#5 St Fluer Emanyia; Female; 42 years; 6 children; Farmer; 2yrs in Celle; None: Around 2 weeks.

They will last 2 more weeks on the tree? That means you have 2 weeks to find someone to buy them from you?

Public : Yes.

Do you only sell to the Packing House? Is there any other buyers?

Public: Yes. There is another one. The local market.

Do you get a good price at the local market?

Public : No. You make small pile with them at the local market.

Ok. I want to be more clear on this topic because I don’t quite understand it. Let us say you go to the farm and pick mangoes the way Technoserve taught you. (Humhummmm) Now you know which mangoes to pick? (Yes) You take the mangoes that are ready to the Packing House. (Yes) But you still have more mangoes left of the trees? My question is this, what do you with the leftover mangoes?

(Several participants started talking)

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: They are left on the trees because they are not yet ripe. We always sort them to pick out the ones that are ripe. What we do with the leftovers if we don’t take them to the Packing House is sell them to Voltije or put them in a basket to sell at the local market.

Are you selling these mangoes at a better price now? You took training from Technoserve on how to produce better quality mangoes? (Yes) Ok. Now are you making more money at the local markets because of that?

Public: No. The Packing House gives us a better price than the local markets.

Let me explain to you what we are trying to know. Let us say that you have leftover mangoes on the trees but you don’t sell them to the Packing House in Port au Prince. Technoserve gave you training, now you have better quality mangoes than before. Now these mangoes, when you go to the local market with them or sell them to Voltije, do you sell them for a better price than before. Remember, now you have better mangoes. Are you making more money?

(Everyone wants to talk at the same time.)

Let the women speak.

#2 Cleure Jeaune Jeanne; Female; 50 years; 2 children; Market woman, farmer ; 2yrs in Cell; 4eme ane: Yes. Last year I sold mangoes and I didn’t get pay because there was problem at the Packing House. But this year I sold my mangoes to the Packing House and I got paid everything.

Selling to the Packing House?

#2 Cleure Jeaune Jeanne; Female; 50 years; 2 children ; Market woman, farmer ; 2yrs in Cell; 4eme ane: Yes. They paid me well. They paid me well.

#5 St Fluer Emanyia; Female; 42 years; 6 children; Farmer; 2yrs in Celle; None: Let me add something on why we are selling better now. In the past no treatments were done on the mangoes. With the trainings from Technoserve, buyers now know what kind of mangoes we will sell to them. Those leftover mangoes, I am not saying they are not good mangoes. Even if these mangoes were not taken to the Packing Houses, they are still good quality. Buyers will still buy these mangoes from you. But in the past they didn’t care what kind of mangoes you sell them. Even the mangoes that were crushed they would buy them. Now because of the trainings we know to carry our mangoes on a clean basket and to cover them.

Now are you selling these mangoes at a better price at the local market. Who would like to add something else? Number 9

#9 Ernest Dulien; Male; 49 years; 5 children; Carpenter; 3yrs in Cell; Prime: All producers in the program, their one main goal is to sell their mangoes to the Packing House. They don’t want to sell to the other buyers. When Technoserve buys the mangoes from the producers they get a better percentage. (A car is driving by.) When the Packing House doesn’t buy all the producers mangoes, the producers resign themselves and sell to the other buyers. Their goal is to sell their mangoes to the Cells. Technoserve gave us a lot of trainings. We got training on how to mow the land. The producers benefit is Technoserve. The one problem we see is when producers have a lot mangoes but Technoserve cannot take all the mangoes. I don’t know if Technoserve is planning on adding a Packing House so we can sell more mangoes. When the producers want to sell mangoes the Packing House cannot buy all from them.

Ok. Let me ask another question. If you know that the Packing House will not buy all your mangoes, would all of them go to local market?

Public: No. No. No.

Why?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: You can’t sell them all in one day. You can’t sell them all at once.

You cannot sell all of them in one day?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: No.

(A moto is passing.)

My wife likes her mangoes ripe and a little bit soft. I like my mangoes to be green. I know a lot of people in this country like their mangoes like my wife does. If you pick them while they are green will you lose money on these mangoes?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: No.

You will sell them?

Public: Yes.

At the local market?

#9 Ernest Dulien; Male; 49 years; 5 children; Carpenter; 3yrs in Cell; Prime: If you picked mangoes while they are green, they won’t last for long. They will get burnt. You can sell them to buyers who will keep them until they are ripe. You see what I mean? When you pick a big amount of mangoes while they are still green, the sun will burn them. The sun will burn them.

Ok. Does that mean you pick the mangoes depending on the quantity you think you can sell at one time? The mangoes cannot be too ripe or to green. Ok.

I have a question for producer who said before the program that he used to sell mangoes at the Packing House. During that time did you consider yourself a Voltije?

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane : During that time I didn’t know the term Voltije. I didn’t know that name existed.

Where did the name Voltije came from?

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane : It is Technoserve that made me realize I was a Voltije.

(The public started laughing and talking at the same time.)

Did that name exist before?

Public: No!

Was there another name?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: We used to say mango buyers, mango buyers.

Public: Buyers. Mango buyers. Mango buyers.

Are these buyers still around?

Public: Yes. Yes.

(Several participants are discussing between themselves about the buyers who they used to sell to)

Is there any other Packing House besides the one Technoserve is associated with? Did other producers sell to that other Packing House? Do they come here to get the mangoes?

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane : Yes, such as House of Germain and Jean Toutou.

How many different Packing Houses are there?

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane : Well, several. For example Croix des Bouquets. Yes, all these different places.

What about you? Where do you go? Is there more mango buyers then before?

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane : Yes. Because of Technoserve we have more buyers now.

Ok. You said that before Technoserve came the name Voltije did not exist?

Public: We didn’t know that name. We used to call them mango buyers.

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane: Let me add something else. This is what the name Voltije means. They are a group of people who are not from the community who come here to buy mangoes. After they buy mangoes they leave with the money and never return. It was not people from the community who were doing the business. That is why they are called Voltije.

Number 3

#3 Milien Exzame ; Male ; 32 years ; 1 child ; Farmer ; Not in a Cell ; 6eme ane: After they pick the mangoes they leave with the money.

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: That is why we call them Voltije.

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane : Ehummm, the other Packing Houses, when they buy mangoes they buy any sort of mangoes. The mangoes that Technoserve’s Packing House won’t take they will take them. This year, when the Cell took our mangoes to Technoserve’s Packing House, it couldn’t take our mangoes. We had to go to Germain’s House. When we got there they were so happy to see our mangoes. Now they want to work with Technoserve on training their producers to make good mangoes like us. They saw our mangoes were more beautiful and better quality than the others. They now want Technoserve to train their producers to produce mangoes like ours.

#8 Louis Teshna; Female; 39 years; 4 children; Market woman; Not in a Cell; 2eme ane: Each time I see people having meetings, I said to myself “What are they doing? Don’t they have anything better to do?” But it was something very important they were meeting about. I have several neighbors who are in Cell and they told me, “Nouchnanou, why don’t you become a member of a Cell?” I told them that I was not interested. They said, “You are not interested? You will see how important this is in the future.” I started seeing them owning beautiful mango trees. They showed me how they produce better quality mangoes because of the project. They are also getting credit from the program. They even taught them how to do business. I am very interested now to take part in the program. If you are part of a Cell you will get trainings. They meet every month. That is something very important. They have discipline. That is something very nice and I want to be part of it.

Thank you. To continue with you, are you part of a Cell?

#8 Louis Teshna; Female; 39 years; 4 children; Market woman; Not in a Cell; 2eme ane: No.

(Silence)

You said now there are other Packing Houses that want to buy mangoes?

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane : Me?

Yes

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane : Those Packing Houses have been around for a long time.

Ok. Does that mean they are have been buying the whole time? That means you have other options. If Technoserve is gone you still have a place to sell your mangoes. The mangoes won’t be wasted?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: I would not like for Technoseve to leave.

Is there more than 1 Packing House that wants to buy mangoes from you?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: No. There are several.

Where they here before?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: They have been around for a long time now.

Are they now more eager to buy from you? You told me that at Germain’s House they were very happy with mangoes and want Technoserve to train their producers. Are the other Packing Houses putting more effort to be part of the production now?

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane: They buy a lot of mangoes. They buy a lot of mangoes. And also when the trees are bearing fruits they produce a lot of mangoes. Technoserve’s Packing House cannot buy all of the mangoes. The mangoes are so many it’s like an ocean of mangoes. Technoseve’s Packing Houses will always get mangoes even if we sell to other Packing Houses. But when the mangoes are ripe they cannot stay on the trees for a long time. Technoserve’s Packing House will always get enough good quality mangoes even if we sell to the other Packing Houses because there is always a lot of mangoes.

Female participant: Alot of mangoes, hummhummmmm

The other Packing Houses you mentioned are they your own contacts? Do you have a relationship with them or do they have people on the field buying mangoes for them?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: Sometimes when you go to Technoserve’s Packing House there is fighting and you can’t get inside. You have to make another decision. You don’t want the mangoes to go to waste so you find another Packing House to sell.

That is what I want to know. Do you find these contacts yourselves or does the Packing House comes find you?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: No, no

When you sell to these other Packing Houses do they give you a good price?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: Not really, no. You know, you know you already bought mangoes from the planters when you come back you have to bring back their money. You have to sell them. There is no bonus with these other Packing Houses. There is no, what do you call it? Hummmm, reimbursement.

Do you sell them at the same price with that you bought them?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: For example, you can buy a dozen at 48 gourdes and you might sell it at 52 gourdes. You do that because you don’t want to be criticized by the producers. You don’t want them to say that you bought mangoes from them and did not pay them back.

How much would you get for them at Perry’s Packing House if you sell them there instead?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: He would pay you 60 or 64 gourdes.

Number 6, I want to ask you a question.

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: Yes.

Looking at this table here, would you say that you are a Local Contractor?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: Yes.

Are you an animator?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: I am not an animator. I am in charge of a Cell.

#7 Ajenoit Vilaire; Male; 43 years; 3 children; Businessman, farmers; 9yrs in Cell; 6eme ane : When the Cell buys mangoes from the producer we take the mangoes to the Packing House. If we get to Technoserve’s Packing House and they cannot buy the mangoes from us we have to find another Packing House to sell the mangoes. We can’t bring the mangoes back.

(Silence)

I have 3 more questions to ask to better understand on the topic. In the past you did not call the buyers Voltije but Mango Buyers.

Female participant: No, stranger.

Now with Technoserve present do you see an increase in the buyers?

Public : No, no.

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: They are less now because Technoserve has trained us. We sell our mangoes to the Cell. Now when they come there is barely enough mangoes for them to buy.

Do you ignore these buyers now? Let’s say you have a great season and you know the Voltije won’t steal from you. Who would you sell to? You have the Voltije, Perry’s Packing House, Local Contractors, and other Packing Houses. All of the will give you the same price. Would you sell to them all or only to Perry’s Packing House?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Yes.

Why?

#5 St Fluer Emanyia; Female; 42 years; 6 children; Farmer; 2yrs in Celle; None: Yes. I would sell to Perry’s Packing House because after selling I know there will be a bonus coming. That money is a saving. When you are not even aware, Technoserve will send you a bonus.

#9 Ernest Dulien; Male; 49 years; 5 children; Carpenter; 3yrs in Cell; Prime: The selection that is done for Technoserve is not the same selection that is done for these other Packing Houses. On the same tree, after you selected the mangoes Technoserve wants, you can sell the rest to the other Packing Houses and make money. The other Packing Houses will buy these mangoes from you. You can sell to them both. You make money with Technoserve and you make money with the other Packing Houses.

Would you like to say something else?

#1 Fleurisca Malvoisin; Male; 60 years; 3 children; Vet; farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 6eme ane: Producers go directly to Perry to sell their mangoes. There were a series of documents that we signed with the Cell so we can sell our mangoes through them. The Packing House knows each Cell. It knows when a Cell in Lachapelle is coming with mangoes and on what day. We organize ourselves to sell mangoes to the Packing Houses. What I would like is for the Cell to always be organized to sell our mangoes to the Packing House even if Technoserve is not here anymore. I want for us to keep in contact with the Packing House.

Ok, agreed. You said something that is very interesting. Do you have a contract with your Cell? Technoserve trained you and also helped you find a place to sell your mangoes. They give you a free service, right?

Public : Yes.

If I am your boss and I did something for you, you have to do something in return too. I am not giving you anything for free.

(The public is laughing)

Remember I am not Technoserve, I am a researcher and I am trying to understand the production. Will the others criticize you if you sell the mangoes to another Packing House?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Yes. They actually criticize you for that.

#5 St Fluer Emanyia; Female; 42 years; 6 children; Farmer; 2yrs in Celle; None: What I want to ask Technoserve in order for the producers mangoes not to go to waste, it needs to start taking the mangoes earlier. If the mangoes start getting ripe in April, Technoserve needs to start buying them. If some of the mangoes are ripe we need to start picking them right away because the rest will get ripe in a very short time. If we don’t pick them on time they go to waste. We are asking Technoserve to help us with that. We need to start selling earlier than usual. Our Cell starts harvesting in May. We should start selling before that because mangoes are finishing at that time. That is not good for the Cells because the mangoes go to waste if not selling them on time. Some of the producers save their mangoes to sell to the Cell because they don’t want to sell to the Voltije. When they save mangoes for the Cell and the Cell can’t buy them that is a pressure for the animators. They told the producers to save the mangoes for them, now they can’t buy them. That is why we are losing so many mangos.

#9 Ernest Dulien; Male; 49 years; 5 children; Carpenter; 3yrs in Cell; Prime: We know that and Mr. Isaac also knows that. There is a problem with the Packing House. The Packing House used to buy the mangoes without having to schedule a time. This year was a deficit year for us in the Cell. While we were picking mangoes, several other communes were picking at the same time. The Packing House cannot take all the mangoes at the same time. That is why we need to start selling as soon as the mangoes are ripe. The problem is that when they give you a schedule to come and sell at the Packing House. By that time the mangoes are ripe. The Packing House cannot take all the mangoes at one time so the mangoes got rotten. In order for us producers to sell our mangoes Tecnoserve needs to have a contact with more than 1 Packing House. We need to expand more because our trees bear a lot of mangoes.

Number 4, would you like to say something else?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Yes. What I want to say is that the trees produce a lot of mangoes. The man said that Technoserve needs to expand to another Packing House because he is afraid Technoserve won’t be able to buy all the mangoes we are producing. But what I want to say is that if Technoserve could not buy all the mangoes it would not be giving us more trees to plant. Maybe we are not following what the trainings say. If Technoserve is giving us more trees to plant that is because it knows it will be able to help us sell all the mangoes.

How much money you think Technoserve is getting from Perry?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: I don’t understand, no.

Perry’s Packing House is getting benefits, right? It’s getting a benefit from what we are talking about. You are selling your mangoes at Perry’s Packing House. Is that right?

Public : Yes.

But you said that you have a good relationship with Perry’s Packing House because you provide it good quality mangoes. Technoserve trained you. Now if they don’t buy the mangoes you won’t want them to go waste. You have the choice of going to another Packing House. What I want to say is that nothing is given for free. Have you ever tought about how much Perry is paying Technoserve? Who is paying Technoserve and why?

(Silence)

You said something very important when you said that you are producing a lot of mangoes and the Packing House cannot buy all of them. You also said that Technoserve is giving more trees to plant. Why is that?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Yes, thats what I think. I don’t quite understand why. The mangoes will always be good. The reason that Technoseve is giving us more trees is because it can take all the mangoes. If they are asking us to produce more they will help us with selling them all.

Ok. Let’s change this idea into something else. Technoserve is providing you with young trees, do you want to plant more trees?

Public: Yes. We plant a lot of trees.

Do you plant trees without help from Technoserve?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: No. We used to plant trees but planting was not very interesting to us. Now with Technoserve we are eager to plant more. Not only we get trees from Technoserve, we also get barbwire to protect our farm. Technoserve helps us a lot.

Number 4, did you use to plant trees before Technoserve was here?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Yes. I used to plant but I didn’t give that any importance. Now Technoserve showed me the right way, I value planting more.

Which one you plant the most, Francis, Blanc, or Konn?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: We only used to eat mangoes. Like I said, we might sell them at the local market.

Ok. Now with Technoserve presence the priority is producing good mangoes?

Public: Yes.

Well before Technoserve which category you used to plant more of?

Public: All categories, all kind of mangoes.

Which one was selling more at the local market?

#1 Fleurisca Malvoisin; Male; 60 years; 3 children; Vet; farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 6eme ane: As for me before Technoserve was on the field, I saw the necessity to plant more mango Francis. Because the other kind like Jerimie, Kodok, and Blanc don’t need to be planted. They just started growing on our farms without being planted. The mango Francis is more difficult to have on the farm because it requires for you to plant it. Well, on one farm I have 10 mango Francis trees that were bearing fruits before Technoserve was here. I saw the necessity to plant them.

Humhumm, what I wanted to add is that at Madam Perry’s there is a benefit for us. Not only do we get a good price but we also receive a bonus and money to do social activities. We have access to credit and also the movement gives us strength in the production. Something I also want to add is, for instance, we have Agropack that should also associate with these Packing Houses too. We are going to have alot of mangoes in the future. We grafted many mango trees and soon they will be producing. We need more Packing Houses to associate with Perry’s Packing House so we can have enough Packing Houses to sell our mangoes too.

A few minutes ago you said that you need to contact the Packing House first before bringing mangoes. Were you talking about Madame Perry?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: Well the other Packing Houses, as soon as you arrive with a truck of mangoes they bought it from you.

Does that means you have to contact Madame Perry Packing House first to schedule before you can come?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: There is a code. The mangoes they buy needs to be equitable or organic. They want to make sure that farms follow the proper procedures. The mangoes should not have any mark on their skin. When you get to the Packing House you have to tell them which Cell you are from. If I want to sell a truck of mangoes to Madame Perry I need to provide my code and let it be known that I am coming in advance. That’s the thing. The other Packing Houses are not like that. You come with the mangoes and they buy them from you.

To whom would you make that call too? Is there someone acting like a bridge between you and Madame Perry or do you call directly to the Packing House?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: : When I have mangoes?

Yes.

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: At the beginning, humhummm, the Cells would call directly to the Packing House. There was a number that you could call and say the animator from this specific Cell is sending mangoes. Now you have to schedule first and you need to have a number code. The animators are responsible to let them know when the mangoes are coming in order for you to pass through when you get to the Packing House.

Are these animators here?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: Yes, in each Cell there is an animator.

Do you sell mangoes to the Dominicans?

Public : Dominicans? No!

Why?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: They buy tamarind sometimes.

Is there a big market for tamarind?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: No. The market is not that big. It’s only a small group of peasants who buys them and sells it at the border. Just small group of who does that.

Before Technoserve was here did any other organization exist? Did you as producers ever get together and create an organization?

#9 Ernest Dulien; Male; 49 years; 5 children; Carpenter; 3yrs in Cell; Prime: In the past, not even the Voltije were buying mangoes. When the mangoes were ripe people just ate their mangoes or fed the mangoes to animals. When the animals don’t want to eat them they stay under the trees to rot. Humhummm, it is now we have Voltije buying our mangoes. Then we had Technoserve train us. Now everyone has an interest in the mango production. But in the past people would just go to their neighbor’s farm and pick a sack to eat. Producers didn’t sell mangoes back then.

Now do you have more Voltije then before?

#9 Ernest Dulien; Male; 49 years; 5 children; Carpenter; 3yrs in Cell; Prime: The Voltije are still coming. The reason they are still coming is because the other Packing Houses need them to come. The producers are now more interested in the production because of Technoserve trainings. Now Technoserve needs to associate with more Packing Houses because it has trained a lot of producers and the producers need a place to sell their mangoes.

Talking about planting mangoes, now you have a great interest in planting mango Francis and Technoserve is helping you with planting. You have an orchard now. Have you ever planted without help from Technoserve?

#5 St Fluer Emanyia; Female; 42 years; 6 children; Farmer; 2yrs in Celle; None:: With the training we got from Technoserve now we can do it.

You can do it now? Did you plant any mango trees without any help from anyone? I mean by taking the seeds and plant it yourself. Have you ever done that?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Yes, I planted trees before.

When was the last time you did that?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: I planted trees before. What I want to say is that with the training I am better at planting trees than before.

Now you are planting mango trees the right way? When was the last you planted a tree besides from the orchard?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: No. I have mango trees that have been producing a long time and are still producing now. (Laughing)

You have them in your farm now?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: No. I have them now. Technoseve gave them to me and I planted them.

Do you have young trees that you planted yourself with help from Technoserve?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Yes. I have trees. I have.

You have 1?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: I don’t just have one. I have several. I have more than 1.

Technoserve didn’t give them to you?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Technoserve gave me some and I bought some myself.

Number 6

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: Here is how people used to do it. Farmers didn’t know about putting seeds in a bag to make a nursery. They used to just dig a hole at the bottom of a banana tree and plant the mango seed. The trees rise by themselves. Sometimes farmers would even forget that they planted a tree. Farmers didn’t trim their mangoes. You know what type of mango it is after it bears fruit.

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Now we have training and how to plant them. We take care of our trees to make them grow. In 5 years your trees are bearing fruits.

Does that mean before Technoserve you didn’t know how plant trees properly?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: I said for now we are doing it with Technoserve.

Were you planting before Technoserve?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Yes.

How long ago was that? Year ago?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Yes. No. Years ago in the past.

How many mango trees do you have?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None:: I have 1 that I planted myself.

You planted only 1? You have only 1 that is bearing fruits?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: No. Not only 1. I have several.

How many do you want to have?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Well, I planted several now. I have a lot now because I have an orchard.

How many trees do you want to have?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Humhummm, I want to have a great quantity if I have enough land to plant on.

(Several participants started laughing)

What about you number 8, do you have young mango Francis trees in your farm?

#8 Louis Teshna; Female; 39 years; 4 children; Market woman; Not in a Cell; 2eme ane: I have 3.

You have 3?

#8 Louis Teshna; Female; 39 years; 4 children; Market woman; Not in a Cell; 2eme ane: Yes.

Where they you get them?

#8 Louis Teshna; Female; 39 years; 4 children; Market woman; Not in a Cell; 2eme ane: They arise by themselves. We ate the mango and planted the seeds somewhere and they rise by themselves then we poke them.

They rise by theirselves?

#8 Louis Teshna; Female; 39 years; 4 children; Market woman; Not in a Cell; 2eme ane: We ate them and planted the seeds. They rise by themselves.

How did you know they were mango Francis?

#8 Louis Teshna; Female; 39 years; 4 children; Market woman; Not in a Cell; 2eme ane: It was mango that I ate. I put the seeds somewhere and poke when they grew.

By poking do you mean you removed them where they were and put them somewhere else?

#8 Louis Teshna; Female; 39 years; 4 children; Market woman; Not in a Cell; 2eme ane: Yes.

What about you, how many do you have?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: 4 trees.

Did you plant them or did they rise by themselves?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: My father left them and now I look after them.

Did your father poke them?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: Yes.

Do you have any?

#9 Ernest Dulien; Male; 49 years; 5 children; Carpenter; 3yrs in Cell; Prime: Yes.

How many you have number 9?

#9 Ernest Dulien; Male; 49 years; 5 children; Carpenter; 3yrs in Cell; Prime: I have 3 mango trees that I planted that have been bearing fruits for a long time now. I have sold mangoes to Technoserve from these trees for the past 3 years.

Are these trees mango Francis?

#9 Ernest Dulien; Male; 49 years; 5 children; Carpenter; 3yrs in Cell; Prime: Yes. I planted them myself. I also have some that I grafted that are producing now. I also have more trees that I bought myself and planted.

From Technoserve? From an orchard?

#9 Ernest Dulien; Male; 49 years; 5 children; Carpenter; 3yrs in Cell; Prime: Yes. We planted mangoes. We have trainings on how to properly plant them and there are organizations that are selling trees. I brought trees from them and planted them. Now these trees should be producing next year.

How many trees do you have?

#9 Ernest Dulien; Male; 49 years; 5 children; Carpenter; 3yrs in Cell; Prime: I have 5.

#1 Fleurisca Malvoisin; Male; 60 years; 3 children; Vet; farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 6eme ane: I have 12 mango trees. I have 5 that are mature and are producing. I also have some that are 3 or 2 ½ years old. Every year I continue planting more trees.

Where did you get those trees?

#1 Fleurisca Malvoisin; Male; 60 years; 3 children; Vet; farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 6eme ane: No. From mango trees that are producing I did a nursery and then planted them.

You do your own nursery?

#1 Fleurisca Malvoisin; Male; 60 years; 3 children; Vet; farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 6eme ane:: Yes, my own.

Technoserve didn’t help you with that?

#1 Fleurisca Malvoisin; Male; 60 years; 3 children; Vet; farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 6eme ane: No, no. I got the training and I did it myself.

Where did you get that training, from Technoserve?

#1 Fleurisca Malvoisin; Male; 60 years; 3 children; Vet; farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 6eme ane: I did them myself. My trees were already here before Technoserve.

Male participant: That is not the question. Who helped you?

#1 Fleurisca Malvoisin; Male; 60 years; 3 children; Vet; farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 6eme ane: I knew mangoes were a necessity and I knew how to plant them so I planted them.

Would anyone like to add something else?

(Silence)

You mentioned all the great changes Technoserve did for the production besides money what is the major change Technoserve did for you?

#9 Ernest Dulien; Male; 49 years; 5 children; Carpenter; 3yrs in Cell; Prime: Trainings is the major thing Technoserve did for us. We got a lot of trainings from Technoserve about agriculture activities. We even get training on how to do business better. Besides the mango production we got training from Technoserve that has changeed our lives. That is why we want Technoserve to continue working with us. We have other products that we would like to sell such as bananas. We have a great quantity of bananas here but we don’t have means to sell them.

Do you organize within the Cell to sell other products? Maybe selling tamarind.

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: We did ask Technoserve to help us in the banana and the pumpkin production. We asked to help us find a market to sell them.

Have you look for a market yourselves?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: We planted them.

But you are in a Cell you could get together and look for a market to sell bananas.

#1 Fleurisca Malvoisin; Male; 60 years; 3 children; Vet; farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 6eme ane: The means, we don’t have an available fund to do that in the Cell to buy the product. For example we have peanut production that is very good, we could buy it and resell it. We have bananas in quantity here but we don’t have the means to buy it and resell it.

We have several women present here. Ladies tell us about your role in the mango production. As women do you have a specific role in the production?

(Silence and several women are talking between themselves.)

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Yes. There are things that women do, like washing. Washing and drying are for women.

What about selling?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Everyone sells. The men sell depending on.. (Participant got interrupted by the surveyor).

Do men sell mango at the local market?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: The men also sell depending on who is in charge of the Cell.

(Several participants started laughing.)

Male participant: No. That is not the question. Do men sell mango at the local market?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: No! (Laughing) A man should not be carrying a basket of mangoes on his head to sell at the local market.

(The public is laughing.)

Why?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Ahhhhhhh, that is not a man’s role. That’s not something for a man to do.

Will he be criticized for that?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: Yes. He will be critisized. That’s too low for a man.

A man can only sell at the Packing House, be a Voltije, or a contractor. Do more men sell to the Packing House or to contractors then women?

#4 Nerison Jolene; Female; 28 years; 4 children; Market woman; 2yrs in Cell; None: No. It’s a mixture of both, men and women.

Isaac: I want to add something. Is there anyone here who accompanies the mangoes to the Packing House? Has anyone here done that?

Several participants: No. I have not. I don’t think so.

Who would like to do it?

Male participant: Traveling is difficult.

For the women?

Several participants: Yes.

Why is it difficult?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: Last week there was a group of people who wanted to go to Perry’s Packing House but didn’t go. There was a group of women who accompanied a truck of mangoes to the Packing House they got raped on the way. They also stole their money.

Are they from here?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: Yes. They took their golden necklace, their money, and also raped them. They beat them and then raped them. That is why the women are not too eager to go but the men are available to go.

Where did they stop them?

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: On Morne Lasel on the Plateau.

Were they any men with the women?

Public: There were men. The thieves tied and beat them.

Male participant: You see that man over there? His head is that big because the thieves slapped him so hard.

(The public laughs.)

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: The good thing for us, when we heard the news, we took another road through St. Marc.

How many thieves were they?

Public: Several, it was at night. They had big guns. It was dark. They covered their faces and raped the women.

#1 Fleurisca Malvoisin; Male; 60 years; 3 children; Vet; farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 6eme ane: It’s on the road that is called Snake Mountain. It’s before you get to Mirebalais. There are no houses in that area only woods. They hid in the woods and came out at night. People are being killed all the time on the road. They shoot them and threw them in the lake. There are lots of deaths on that road.

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: Near the Artibonite, on the curve there is an antenna there.

Before you get to Peligre? On that road? On those mountains?

Public: Yes, yes, yes.

#1 Fleurisca Malvoisin; Male; 60 years; 3 children; Vet; farmer; 3yrs in Cell; 6eme ane: When you get to Lachapelle.

Ahhhh, ok. On that road. Ok. We want to say thank you.

Isaac: Excuse me. I have a few of questions. There are some harvesters here. I am right? (Yes) My question is for them. How did the activities in Cell create jobs in the community? Did it create some kind of stability for you? Do you see what I mean?

Male participant: Yes. Let me tell you how it is. For the job is only during the mango season. For example someone might have a mule or a horse and during season for them to make some money and they can load you a horse. It’s only these types of jobs. The harvester makes a small percentage. The washer makes a small percentage. It’s these types of jobs that I see.

Isaac: Are you a harvester?

Male participant continues: Ummm-hummm.

(Participant is talking very low can’t hear what he is saying.)

Isaac: Was it like that in the past for workers who worked in the production?

Male participant continues: They used to get paid.

Isaac: With the presence of the Cell does that create more jobs in the community?

(Silence)

Male participant continues: I don’t quite understand.

Isaac: Does the Cell create other opportunities for the community.

#6 Arnorld Telus; Male; 29 years; 2 children; Businessman; 7yrs in cell; Segonde: Yes. It is good because we are selling more mangoes now. There is reimbursement for the community. If we have a small project for the community like fixing corridor that get muddy when it rains or creating an alpha school after selling the mangoes we in the community make the decision to fix that problem. (The public is being noisy can’t hear what participant said next.)

Isaac: The last question is for the lady with number 8. You said that you are not in a Cell?

#8 Louis Teshna; Female; 39 years; 4 children; ; Not in a Cell; 2eme ane: Yes.

Isaac: Good. Do you have nursery of mango Francis?

#8 Louis Teshna; Female; 39 years; 4 children; Market woman; Not in a Cell; 2eme ane: Yes, I have a nursery.

Isaac: Do you sell them?

#8 Louis Teshna; Female; 39 years; 4 children; Market woman; Not in a Cell; 2eme ane: I don’t sell them.

Isaac: It is because of this meeting we have today that makes you want to be part of a Cell or was it because you saw the Cell members having important meetings?

#8 Louis Teshna; Female; 39 years; 4 children; Market woman; Not in a Cell; 2eme ane: No. I went to a … ( A lot of different sounds can be heard. The rest of the sentence cannot be heard)

Isaac: That’s what you saw ? Did you ever talk to your neighbors about the Cell?

#8 Louis Teshna; Female; 39 years; 4 children; Market woman; Not in a Cell; 2eme ane: I told them it is something that is very important.

Isaac: Yes, you said it is something that is very important but why?

#8 Louis Teshna; Female; 39 years; 4 children; Market woman; Not in a Cell; 2eme ane: If this program could stay forever it would change our lives.

Thank you everyone. I want to ask 1 last question. Does anyone know the history of mango Francis? Where it comes from?

Public: The history? No, we don’t know. It is in Africa.

Is it a fruit that has been imported?

Public: Imported, imported.

Do you know when it came to country?

(The participants are discussing about the date.)

Is it from the Dominican Republic?

Male participant: The Dominican Republic!? No! They don’t have this mango. They only have small mangoes.

Male participant: They said it came from Russia or from Africa.

Isaac: It came from Jamaica. When it first came it was not yet mango Francis. It became mango Francis in Haiti.

(Public is laughing.)

Public: You are better than us.

Thank you everyone for your presence today.

Seau D’eau

Participants

Foustan Dormevil; Male; 66 years; 5 children; farmer; 1yr in Cell; Elemante 2
Ivette Ville; Female; 55 years; 7 children; Market woman; 3yrs in Cell; None
Norelis Jn Roodson ; Male ; 21 years ; None; Teacher; 2yrs in Cell; 3eme ane
Poris Feliciane; Female; 66 years; 8 children; Market woman; 3yrs in Cell; Preparatwa 1
Innocent Saiudan; Male; 22 years; None; Student, farmer; 2yrs in Cell; 7eme ane
Obri Pierre; Male; 50 years; 3 children; Teacher, farmer, blacksmith ; 0 ; 4eme Segonde
St Gardien Idalerne ; Female ; 20 years ; None ; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell ; 3eme Segonde
Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane
Pierre Jespe ; Male ; 30 years; 3 children ; Artist ; 1yr in Cell ; 5eme ane Fondamantal
Antoine Gustav ; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None
Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal
Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde
AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne
Dorsil Lousne; Male; 28 years; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; Sekonde
Douze Manouche; Female; 32 years; None; TNS commercial advisor ; 20 months ; University
Gardien Foreresse; Male; 48 years; 6 children; Teacher; 4yrs in Cell; Rheto
Derilus Rosemanie; Female; 23 years; None; Aminator for TNS; 10 months; philo

Presentation

Introduction : Good morning everyone. We are here today to do a presentation….

Objectives of the program

Who are we?

Where was the study done?

What we learned from those producers?

What do you see in these numbers?

Responses Begin

(Long Silence)

Male participant: What I see is that these people are more interested in planting more trees because they are being encouraged more to produce more.

84% of producers who are in Cells are planting young trees while 85% of producers who are not Cells are planting young trees. What can you say about these numbers?

(Several participants are talking among themselves.)

What is strange about these numbers is that producers who are not Cells are planting more than producers who are in Cells. Why is that?

(Silence)

#10 Antoine Gustav; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None: Producers in Cells now have their own technique for planting, grooming, and picking mangoes in order for them to make more money. To me, what I think is that when producers who are not in Cells saw the revenue of producers who are in Cells they started planting more trees.

Is it because they did not have trees to being with?

#10 Antoine Gustav; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None: Exactly!

I found this to be strange because if I am making more money and I am in a Cell that would push me to plant more trees so I can make more money. But what we see here is the opposite; producers who are not in a Cell are planting more young trees than those who are in the Cells.

#10 Antoine Gustav ; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None: No! Now they have the tendency, the ambition to plant more.

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: They want to make more money now they are planting more; but they don’t want to be part of a Cell.

(Participant is coughing)

Why don’t they want to become a member in a Cell?

#10 Antoine Gustav; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None: Maybe they don’t understand the process.

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: Well sometimes when someone doesn’t understand something (A motorcycle is driving by) it can be very difficult for them to participate in it. And something else, I am not being direct but selling to the Cells means selling on credit. Haitians don’t like to sell on credit; and they don’t trust each other. That is why many producers do not want to be part of a Cell.

Because they heard there is credit involved?

Several participant: Yes, Yes

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: The credit issues, that means even producers who are in Cells are not selling to the Cells. Because the person knows if he sells on credit he will not get his money soon enough.

By credit you mean selling on credit?

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: That is the problem! They don’t get paid soon enough. That is why you have producers who are in Cells but are not selling to the Cells.

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: Because they love money and want their money in their hands after selling.

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: It’s not only because the person loves money but the necessity of the country. There is no job in the country. Necessity and poverty can cause the person not be able to wait for the money.

That is very interesting. Let us continue with the presentation and we will come back to this issue later. In 2010 before the program abegan, 1 dozen mangoes had 20 mangoes. In 2013 a dozen was 16 mangoes; and now in 2015 due to the program a dozen is 14 mangoes. Is this true for you? If we mention something that is not true for you as producers in Seau Do, please correct us.

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: Up until now we have producers on the local market doing hummm, what do they do. They sell their mangoes to the local market. Actually now when a producer has mangoes and sells them at the local market he makes more money than if had sold it to the Cell, even with 14.

How?

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: When he sells at the local market in Haiti the producer makes more money. For example, someone has mangoes either Francis or Blanc and sells it at the local market he gets money to do an activity. For these producers it is better for them to sell at the local market because they get their money right away, even if they sell 14 for a dozen.

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: They sell per dozen.

Does the dozen mean 12?

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: Yes.

Has it always been 12?

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: Yes. Now it went up.

Its more now?

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: Yes

How many is in a dozen now?

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: Now when they are buying the mango from you they take 14 mangoes for a dozen.

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: They took 14. They took 14 mangoes.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: The reason they are taking 14 is because when they get to the Packing House if 1 mango is not good they need to replace it.

Does that mean in 2010 and 2011 a dozen was 12? Now with the Packing House they are taking 13 or 14 for a dozen, because in the past there was no reject?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: I don’t have any problem selling 14 for a dozen, no. If 1 mango is not good they need to replace the bad one with good one when they get to the Packing House. I don’t have any problem with that. Some producers don’t like it, they rather sell with the Voltijes. They sell per tree instead of per dozen.

Why do they sell per tree?

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: I am going to tell you why. Some producers don’t want to count the mangoes they rather sell per tree. They sell and get paid right away. Maybe the trees were not treated but they don’t care. That’s not their problem. It’s the problem of the buyers. All of these things, hummmm, are pushing the producers to sell their mangoes to other buyers. They are not selling to the Cell because when they sell their mangoes they get paid right away. They don’t have to do any selection in the mangoes. The buyers will take all, good or not good. They don’t have to worry about good mangoes or bad mangoes.

(Participants were asked to give their numbers when talking.)

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: The Cell is something that was created for your benefit. When you sell thru the Cell, producers are making more than money when they sell their mangoes at the local market. It’s a lie. Sometimes you take a basket, fill it up with mangoes and count them to see how many dozen it takes. Before you said someone selling at local market is making more money. But count how many dozen mangoes are in a basket. When someone sells a basket mango for 150 gourdes, but if you count the mangoes there could up to 5 dozens in the basket. Doesn’t he lose money?

(Silence)

Don’t you lose money? Enhhhh? The reason we take 14 for a dozen is when we get to the Packing House if we brought 500 dozen mangoes with us they will be at least 100 mangoes rejected. How would we cover up for the 100 rejected? Ehnnn? They are coming from the extra 2 we took 14 for a dozen. Take for example you took 500 dozens mangoes to the Packing House and there is at least 100,120 or 125 that got rejected. The Packing House will not pay you for these rejects. They took these rejects and cut them open to see if the mangoes have worms. Now evaluate to see where the 120 mangoes are coming from. How many dozen is taken from the 500 dozens? You bought the mangoes from the producers and you need to bring their money back with you. Do you see? You bought 500 dozens and you need to pay for 500 dozens. All of that is coming from the extra you took on the dozen.

Are the buyers buying per tree from the producers?

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: What I said is for the mister who said producers make more money when they sell mangoes at the local market. You need to count how many dozen mangoes in a basket instead of selling a basket of mangoes for $30HT[13]. That’s when you will know if they are making more money at the local market. Buy a basket of mangoes and count to see how many dozens it has. Ok? You need to do that first.

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: As a producer, I took that example as producer. I am a member in the Cell and I sell my mangoes to the Cell. Everyone does not think the same way. When the producers sell their mangoes with other buyers do they care about good or bad mangoes?

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: Let me tell something very simple. I have been selling mangoes at the Packing House since 2013 when Technoserve first came. If I don’t tell you everything about the selling process is because I don’t want to. Do you understand? We are not here to cheat you. In the past when you get to the Packing House with mangoes you would unload the mangoes with no problem. Now you have pay a fee to unload the truck. These things need to discuss with the people in charge. We don’t have enough money to cover these unknown fees. We are charged $100HT[14] or $150HT[15] to unload a mango truck. These fees are not good for us.

When you get to the Packing House and they ask you to pay to unload the mangoes, do you return with the mangoes? What do you do?

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: No. When you get to the Packing House they need to unload and wash the mangoes. Now the Packing House’s employees are asking you to pay them. You pay them to unload the truck. That fee is not in our budget. We don’t have it in our budget.

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: That is something from the Packing House.

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: It is something from the Packing House.

Ok. Do they sort the mangoes? What do they do with the ones that are rejected? That is what I want to know.

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: The rejected ones? The rejected ones? Well, it is very good that you mentioned that. As for the reject they buy them at very low price from us.

They brought it from you?

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: The price is too low. The price is too low.

Who brought it from you?

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: The Packing House, but the price we are getting for the rejected ones is too low. The price is too low because we buy the dozen for $10HT[16] from the producers. Now imagine if you have 10, 20, or 40 dozen and the Packing House is paying $3HT[17] or $4HT[18] per dozen. Yes, that is too low.

Who buys it from you, the Packing House or the workers?

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: The owner of the Packing House, then other buyers from the outside come with their truck and buy the rejected ones from them. If they could at least give us back the rejected ones we could sell them at the local market and make more money. The thing is the Packing House has to buy the rejected ones.

Do they give you a receipt?

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: I am sorry?

Does the Packing House give you a receipt for the rejected ones?

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: Yes. They give us a receipt. Yes, they mark them. They write the rejected ones we sell and the amount on the receipt.

Do many producers know how many dozen mangoes are in a basket?

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: The thing is they don’t count them. They don’t know it. In the same way with us here who are in the program when we buy a mango tree from a producer we know how much it should cost by just looking at it. Let me give you an example. There was a lady who was selling a mango tree when I first came in this program and she said, ‘Hey my mango tree is $400HT[19]’. At that time we were new and didn’t know how much we should give her for the mango tree. We said to her we will pick the mangoes and pay her per dozen. When we get to 50 dozen mangoes going to a 100 dozens, she said “Heyyyyy, my mango tree is for $500HT[20]!’’ (Laughing) That means when someone is novice on something you have to help them. If we wanted to cheat that lady we would have gave her the price she had asked at the beginning. We helped her and she made more money. At the end she still got the rejected ones to sell to Voltije who are buying all kind of mangoes.

(Several participants are laughing.)

Did you want to say something?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: Yes, on the issue about how many dozen mangoes in a basket. In 2013 the basket used to take 3 dozens. Now mangoes are not selling a basket can take 4 or 5 dozens. As for selling per dozen, that is my thing. I love it! When I sell my mangoes per dozen I get the leftovers to sell in the future. Some people don’t like selling per dozen but I don’t have any problem with it because after the mangoes are sorted I get the leftovers to sell and make more money.

(Silence)

I want to ask a question about selling per dozen. Before the program when we did the study producers were saying Voltije would take 20 to 18 mangoes for a dozen. Now with the program a dozen is 14 mangoes. What do you think about that?

A female participant : No!

Were the Voltije taking more than that?

(Participants are discussing between themselves about the number in the dozen. Several participants said they don’t know that information.)

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: You know, I never knew they were taking 20 for a dozen. We didn’t know that here. We used to sell mangoes per tree or save it to sell per basket. The buyers didn’t want to buy mangoes per dozen from us.

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: By my house we used to sell per tree. They buyers didn’t want to buy mangoes per dozen from us.

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: Rarely if there was a few mangoes.

The surveyor explained to the public that the data was collected from several other communities such as Gros Morne, Thomonde, and Mirebalais.

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: Producers here didn’t sell their mangoes per dozen.

You said that basket used to have, how many?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: 3 dozens, now the basket is taking more because the mangoes are selling very well.

Is the basket the same size it was in the past ?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: No. The basket is bigger now. (Laughing)

How come it bigger now?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: Depending on who’s making the basket.

Are you saying that a dozen was more back then?

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: Exactly ! That’s what I am thinking too. (Laughing)

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: This is how it is. I will explain it to you very well. At the beginning when we used to fill the basket with mangoes we used to add some straw at the bottom of the basket. Now when you put the straw at the bottom, the basket will take fewer mangos. We used to add a lot of straw and then cover the basket. But now if the basket is not full all the way to the top you won’t sell it. They said there are a lot of mangoes now. To sell a basket of mangoes it has to fill all the way to the top. In the past you fill it up halfway with straw at the bottom the moment you get to the market they would buy it. That means the more straw you put at the bottom of the basket the fewer mangoes it will take.

Why did you put less then? Will buy it if it has straw at the bottom?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: No. You had to add it. Now if it has a lot of straw you won’t sell it. Because they said there are a lot of mangoes now. In the past you could add a lot of straw they would still buy it. They won’t buy now because we have more mangoes.

Do you sell that basket at the local market?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: Yes, at the local market. Now we have more mangoes they won’t take the basket half full anymore.

#6 Obri Pierre; Male; 50 years; 3 children; Teacher, farmer, blacksmith ; 0 ; 4eme Segonde: Does that means the Cell is better ?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: Yes, the Cell is better for me.

The presentation continued on the price change for a dozen mango since the program.

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: Well, until now for us in Seau Deau it is more than 28 gourdes when selling it at the farm.

At the farm?

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: Yes. For us who do not sell our mangoes in the Cell we make more than 28 gourdes per dozen. I don’t about producers who are selling in the Cell.

This data is from 2013.

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: Ahhhhhh ! But you said right now.

For now it could be higher.

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: Right now some producers are selling it at $6HT[21] per dozen. If you wash it and take it to the Packing House you can sell it at $9HT[22].

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: Not at the Packing House. You bring it here.

Are these numbers for 2013 or for now?

Isaac : It could from 2013. Let me add something else on this. These groups of producers are selling their mangoes to the Cell. Some of you here sell to the Cell? Right? Normally you know that the Cell buys a mango that is different from the others. Ok? It’s a mango that is certified. Right? It is what we called equitable or organic mango. Now if you sell your mangoes on the certified market which is at Madame Perry Packing House, you get 42 gourdes per dozen. Do you see what I am saying? Some of you here didn’t get the chance to certify your mangoes. Are you with me? (Yes) These producers stay at the Conventional market. Ok? These producers got a price that was lower than 42 gourdes. Right? (Yes) It depends on the price that was set by the mandates in the Cell. Do you agree with me? (Yes) There were commercial animators who helped the leaders in the Cell to set a price for the Conventional and certified mangoes. Are you with me? (Yes) This year Madam Perry didn’t buy conventional mangoes often. Instead she bought more certified organic mangoes. That is why on an average, remember we talked about average, producers made 42 gourdes per dozen of 13 or 14. For some producers the dozen was 13. I don’t know what arrangement producers here made with their Cell. For a dozen well counted on the certified market was 42 gourdes. Are you with me? (Yes) Ok.

The presentation continued on describing the market for the mango production. It also described the difference between then and now.

(A car is driving by.)

As producers, is this how the market for the production is?

Male Participant : We are in the present now.

Yes. That means we are closer with the exporters now. Is this how the market chain is? Does it make sense to you?

Public: Yes. That is how it is.

Can a Voltije be a contractor?

Several participants: No. No.

Can a Local Contractor be a Voltije?

Several participants: No.

What is the different between a them. What makes someone a contractor?

#10 Antoine Gustav ; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None: A contractor is a person who is stabilized and has a connection with the Packing House.

Who has connection with the Packing House?

#10 Antoine Gustav ; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None: Yes, exactly.

Does that mean the Voltije doesn’t have a connection with the Packing House?

#10 Antoine Gustav ; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None: He has connection with the Big Contractor. He represents that contractor.

But can a Voltije be a Contractor?

Several participants: No. No.

Can a producer be a Contractor?

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: As for me if a producer wants to be a contractor he can. Depending on the amount of product he has. He can play the role of a contractor. Now with the relationship the Cell has with the Packing House a big producer can be a contractor if he is a member in the Cell. That producer can make a connection with the Packing House and sell mangoes to the Packing House. A producer can be a contractor according to me.

Here in Seau Deau are there any producers who are contractors?

Several participants: No. There are none.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: I want to add something on what the mister is saying. I can be a contractor who is not a big contractor. Because when I am in the Cell I am on my base. Everyone is bringing their mangoes to me and I buy all the mangoes and give them a receipt. That makes me a contractor.

Does that mean you are a contractor for your Cell?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: Yes! I am a contractor.

(Silence. A moto is driving by.)

Isaac : I want to ask a question on what we are now discussing. I know we have a mixture of producers from Seau Deau, St Gardien, and Lacoupe Madigra. Seau Deau is vast. Right? I know this season is the first season for producers from Lacoupe to sell to the Cell. Right? (Yes) The question I want to ask. (Silence) What difference do you make, the question is also from producers from St Gardien, when you sell mangoes yourself or when you sell it to the Cell? Which one is better for you?

#1 Foustan Dormevil; Male; 66 years; 5 children; farmer; 1yr in Cell; Elemante 2: The Cell has more benefits for me. Because this year I didn’t have any trees that were trimmed as for the first time I tried selling my mangoes to the Cell. I didn’t sell many mangos to the Cell because my mangoes were not good quality. Do you understand what I mean? The ones that were good, I sold them to the Cell. Do you know what I mean? The bad ones I sold them to a Voltije. As we speaking right now that Voltije never paid me. You understand? I have not yet gotten paid and it is more likely I will never get that money. But the portion I sold to the Cell in 2 or 3 days I got paid. That is why from now on I will trim my trees. I will never sell my mangoes to anyone else besides to the Cell. Next year I will sell all my mangoes to the Cell. The Cell has more benefits for me.

Isaac: Thank you.

(Silence)

#7 St Gardien Idalerne ; Female ; 20 years ; None ; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell ; 3eme Segonde: I am number 7. When you sell your mangoes to the Cell it’s better because the Cell gives you a receipt for the amount of dozen you sells. They don’t take mangoes that have any marks on them. They take mangoes that are good quality and pure. When you sell to the Cell you make more money than when you sell to Voltije. Voltije sometimes buy mangoes and never pay the producers. With the Cell you get trainings on how to clean the mango trees; and how to pick the mangoes. They trained you on how to make more money on the production and how to protect the production.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: I want to add something else. When you sell with the Cell you get paid well. There is something else that makes us very happy. Sometimes later after you sold your mangoes you aree called in a meeting and they give you something more. That is a fortune for us.

What do you call that?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: That is a bonus. When you get this bonus, it could be 5 gourdes but that’s like a fortune at that moment. That’s very very interesting.

(Silence)

You said sometimes that Voltije don’t pay the producers?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: Wi. Gen Voltije ki konn pa peye. Le yo vin achte la yo keyi mango a ya ale. Yes. Some Voltije doesn’t pay us. They took the mangoes and left without paying us.

Are they buying on credit?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: Yes. They picked the mangoes and leave without paying. They said they are coming back to pay. You never see them again. Maybe you might see them next year.

(Several participants are discussing about the problem they are having with the Voltje)

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: When the Voltije is buying the mangoes from you he doesn’t tell you that he doesn’t have money to pay. They agree on a price with you. Just like the guys on the street in Port au Prince, they come in groups. Sometimes they tell you that they are sending their colleagues to the Packing House in Port au Prince to get the money. They also walk around with harvesters to pick the mangoes. They send their colleagues to the Packing House with the mangoes and stay behind. The Voltije would promise to pay you in the afternoon but you would never see them again.

We are not selling on credit. He said that he is sending his colleague to pick up the money and the money is on the way coming. As soon as he send the mangoes to the Packing House you will never see him again.

That’s why as producers we are victims. Now the producers see that the Cell is better for them. The only reason some people are not trusting the Cell more is because of the credit thing. They got cheated so much by the Voltijes that they don’t trust anyone who wants to buy on credit from them. The producers are in great need and that is why they are always be cheated by the Voltijes. The Voltijes would give a higher price for the mangoes and took the mangoes from the producers without paying them.

Would you like to add something else, number 6?

#6 Obri Pierre; Male; 50 years; 3 children; Teacher, farmer, blacksmith ; 0 ; 4eme Segonde: : The Voltijes had cheated the producers a lot. I had not yet solr any mangoes to the Cell but this year I decided to sell my mangoes to the Cell. In several ways, the Cell is better for the producers. The reason, hummmmm, the Voltijes didn’t only cheatus on our money. They made us work for them. They hired our animals to carry the mangoes but din’t pay us. Like number 8 said, when you sell your mangoes to the Cell they give you a first payment then later you will get a surprise. To me that system is very good for us producers.

Would you like to add something more, number 14?

#14 Dorsil Lousne; Male; 28 years; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; Sekonde : Lacoupe Madigra, many producers are complaining about the Voltijes. As producers who are in the Cell we have nothing to complain about. Sometimes the Voltijes would come to the area and see that we have a lot of mangoes but the mangoes are for producers who are in the Cell. All of our trees are trimmed but Cell doesn’t have money to buy our mangoes. What do the Voltijes do when they see that? They give the producers a higher price than the Cell’s price. The Cell doesn’t have money to buy those mangoes. Now the Voltijes took the mangoes and sent them to the Packing House. They said to the producers that the money is coming in the afternoon. After several minutes he got in a Taptap and disappeared.

That is why a lot of producers are complaining now. We want to congratulate Technoserve and to encourage the producers to work with Technoserve.

Isaac : From what you just said, can I say before the Cell was in your area, can you remind me that name of where you are from?

#14 Dorsil Lousne; Male; 28 years; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; Sekonde : Cano.

Isaac: Yes, Cano or Coupe Madigra. Before the presence of the Cell was there a need for the Voltijes to increase the price?

#14 Dorsil Lousne; Male; 28 years; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; Sekonde: Well, yes. It happened before. Before Technoserve came a producer could have mangoes and you give a price but he would sell the mangoes to the highest bidder. It’s the same thing with the Cell. If we in the Cell don’t have money to buy mangoes from the producers they will sell to the Voltijes. Then the Voltijes will leave and don’t pay them.

Isaac : Now with the Cell being there are the Voltijes increasing their prices.

Public: No.

Isaac : Now you know about mangoes that are good quality. The Cell only buys mangoes from the members. Ok? Now the mangoes are more valued. Am I right? (Yes) You all agree with me on that? ( Yes) Well, now are the Voltijes paying more for the mangoes? Are they offering you more money now than before?

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: Listen. Let’s say now we have several buyers on the market and you merchandise is good quality. Of course the price will go up. I want to buy. You want to buy. He wants to buy. They want to buy. Of course the price will change. Now you have more buyers who wants to buy your product.

#1 Foustan Dormevil; Male; 66 years; 5 children; farmer; 1yr in Cell; Elemante 2: There is something else. Hummmm, the more the Voltijes see were being successful in the production the more they are cheating us. You know when we trim the trees the mangoes are clean and beautiful. You know that the mangoes are for the Cell. Do you understand what I am saying? You know that you will make more money if you sell the mangoes to the Cell.

They did something to me. They were very smart. There is a guy by my house named, what is his name? His name is Animal or something like that. They treated me like an animal. The Voltije brought the mangoes from me and told me that the money is coming.

Sometimes he said that they gave him a check but the check doesn’t have provisions on it. Do you understand? He said several other things too. Now when he said the check doesn’t have provision on it I still think that the money is coming sooner or later. Do you understand?

(Laughing)

I helped him with picking the mangoes. He said that the day won’t be over and I will get my money. I continue picking more mangoes for him. I helped him with picking. Do you understand? My wife washed the mangoes. My children carried the mangoes. He said the money is coming. Before the day ends a truck came and carried the mangoes away.

(Several participants are laughing.)

The Voltije didn’t leave right away. He stayed behind. Suddenly he told me that he is going to Mirebalais. Before he leaves he told me some excuse. When he came back he told me, ‘‘My man the money is really there. The check can’t be cashed yet. We are doing everything to fix it,’’ he said to me. The check will be cashed soon he said. He gave me so many excuses. While he is telling you that he is buying more mangoes from other producers and telling them the same thing.

You see, if that Voltije doesn’t come back I will be in big trouble. There are many producers who did not want to sell their mangoes to him but I encouraged them to sell him. I am responsible for telling them to sell to that Voltije. Now I am responsible to pay $1000HT[23], $900HT[24], and even $600HT[25] to other producers because that Voltije left without paying them.

(Several participants are laughing.)

Do you understand? He won’t even pick up my calls now. (Laughing)

Are you in a Cell?

#1 Foustan Dormevil; Male; 66 years; 5 children; farmer; 1yr in Cell; Elemante 2: Yes I am. There were mangoes that the Cell didn’t buy. They were not good quality mangoes.

Several of you mentioned that that Voltijes are cheating you because the Cell doesn’t have cash to buy mangoes from you. How can the program solve this problem? Who wants to answer this question?

(Several participants are laughing and talking.)

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: Well, what the program needs to do is to help the Cell gets a loan during the mango season. Help the Cell buy the producers product and pay them at time of buying. As for the Voltijes, they have a big impact on the producers. What impact do they have? You see the poor sellers outside who are selling food? The Voltijes brought their fritay for their workers and leave without paying them. The same thing they did to the producers they did to those poor souls outside.

If there is a way we can get rid of these people, ohhhhh my god, let’s do it! The producers will rejoice a thousand times.

The major problem is that the Voltijes are lying to you?

Several participants: Yes, yes.

Why do you trust them?

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: I already told you why the producers believe them. It’s a problem. The economy of the country is weak. There are no works. People are in need. The Voltjes give you hope that the money is coming and you give them the mangoes. He didn’t ask for credit. He doesn’t say that he will pay in several days. The producers are in need. They are broke. Life is difficult for them. That is why they are selling to the Voltijes.

Let’s leave the problem aside and find the solution. Let’s not talk about the Voltijes. You said that during the mango season the Cell doesn’t have cash to do the mangoes?

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: `Exactly ?

Sometimes they raise the price because they know that the Cell doesn’t have money. Now, how can we fix this problem?

#1 Foustan Dormevil; Male; 66 years; 5 children; farmer; 1yr in Cell; Elemante 2: What the program can do is help the Cell get a loan. The time we have more problems is before the season starts. We have to pay school for our children and many other things. Now when the Voltijes come to me I won’t listen to them anymore. Do you understand?

You need money so you listen to them. Now for example if the Cell already help us we won’t talk to them. There is a saying that, ‘The donkey lies where he is tied.’ Do you understand? If we can get a loan now when the Voltijes come they can go everywhere in the community and no one will sell them mangoes. At the end they will have to leave.

A male participant : That’s it !

#14 Dorsil Lousne; Male; 28 years; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; Sekonde : Something else, the Voltijes don’t even wait for the mangoes to be ready before they give you a price. Sometimes they give you a price but don’t give you any money. You left the mangoes for them and they never come for them. These mangoes are left on the trees wasted because on behalf of them.

Because the Voltije doesn’t come back for the mangoes?

#14 Dorsil Lousne; Male; 28 years; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; Sekonde: The producer doesn’t want to sell to Technoserve and the Voltije already set a price on the mangoes. He stops the producer from selling to anyone else.

Doesn’t the Cell have some kind of savings? Can’t you all put your money together?

#1 Foustan Dormevil; Male; 66 years; 5 children; farmer; 1yr in Cell; Elemante 2: Remember the Cells where not here from the beginning. It’s an experience that is being done. The Cells are new and they don’t have money. They were not expecting these problems. Do they have money to buy mangoes? No, they don’t.

Ok.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: The solution we need is that the trees are blooming and bearing fruits from December to March, we need to have some kind of loan to support the production. For us to get this loan, Technoserve has to work with us. We want Technoserve to help us so we can produce more mangoes.

A female participant speaking very low : To give us a credit in order for the mangoes to not go to waste.

Isaac : I am very happy that you mentioned the credit. That is something that is very important. We all know that the credit helps us in the production. Am I right? Well, the Voltijes are also buying your mangoes. They even sometimes buy the mangoes before they are ripe. Am I am right? (Mhum-hmmm) What you call these mangoes, chode[26] ? (Mhumm-hmmmmm)

Male participant: What you said it correct.

Isaac : Chode is the term producers in Gros Mornes used to describe mangoes that not yet ripe. Here you have another term which is kale[27]. You all know that Technoserve is not buying or selling mangoes. Do you see what I mean? (We see) Can you give me another solution for finding the credit that doesn’t involve Technoserve? I agree that Technoserve should accompany the Cells. You know that we are not buying mangoes. If Technoserve was buying mangoes it would not have a problem to provide some credit at beginning.

(Silence)

#1 Foustan Dormevil; Male; 66 years; 5 children; farmer; 1yr in Cell; Elemante 2: I understand. Technoserve has a good relationship with a Packing House. It could help the Cells get a loan from the Packing House.

(Silence)

Isaac: How do you see your relationship with the Packing House?

#1 Foustan Dormevil; Male; 66 years; 5 children; farmer; 1yr in Cell; Elemante 2: No. The relationship I now have with the Packing House is because of Technoserve. Technoserve is the head of the Cells. If the Cells need to make a request I think Technoserve should respond to that request. We need Technoserve. It was Technoserve that created the Cells.

(Silence)

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: To add something more, Technoserve helps us get a small credit that is very beneficial. Because of that credit we are not selling our animals in times of need. The interest rate is not too high but, if it could be lower, that would be better. We pay our transportation with credit.

As for me the credit is very good. Some producers don’t like it but I like very much. I want Technoserve to stand with us in getting a bigger credit. If Technoserve talks to the Packing House to give us that credit would be very helpful to us.

Isaac : You have been going to the Packing House for several years now and you have a relationship with Packing House. You could talk to the manager. How do you see your relationship with the Packing House manager?

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: On what you just said, we know if the Packing House wants to help us in the production in can do it. I know a Voltije who the Packing House helps. Why can’t it help us? We have a sponsor. (Hummmm) Technoserve could have accompanied us during the mango season to the Packing House and set up a meeting for us with the Packing House manager. Can we just go to the manager and ask for a credit? That is the solution. Technoserve can put us in contact with the manager. Madame Perry doesn’t know us. We cannot go to her and ask for a loan. Technoserve send us to the Packing House. ( Laughing) In the same way it is Technoserve that knows how it will help us get the credit. Maybe during the mango season (Music playing and a phone is ringing) Technoserve will meet with the Packing House’s manger and get the loan for us to buy mangoes. ( The music continues playing). If you take for example $500HT and everyone is in need for that $500HT. I don’t know if Technoserve will help us get the loan. Maybe the interest rate will be $100HT[28], I don’t know. If we pay on time next year it the loan can be higher.

(Music continues playing)

I know a Voltije from Gros Mornes who got a loan of $10,000HT[29] from the Packing House to buy mangoes. He was shot about 7 or 9 times and when the Packing House heard about it, it didn’t let him pay that money back. That is an example I am giving you. I am not telling you to go get shot and die for a loan. ( Laughing)

(Participants are talking among themselves but the discussion is not clear.)

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne:: We know we can get access to a loan but it has to be through Technoserve.

Isaac: Let’s leave the loan behind. Do think that you have a good relationship with the Packing House manager? Do you see that?

Several participants: No. No.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: No. We don’t believe that we can talk to the Packing House manager. Technoserve was the one who puts us in contact with the Packing House. They do not know us.

OK.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: No. No. They don’t know us. We go through Technoserve. We have to go and talk to the Packing House then Technoserve will tell us what to do.

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: An example that is very clear. When I got to the Packing House with the mango truck, wasn’t it you that kept bothering to help me sell the mangoes. I asked you to help get the mangoes in because I couldn’t return the mangoes to the producers. I need to return with their money. What did you do? You told me to wait for you. Everywhere we went we couldn’t sell the mangoes. You got in your car and went out then you called saying you could help me. I told you that I will sleep at the Packing House until something is done because I can’t go back with the mangoes. At the last minute you wrote a text message and said to go to Germain’s Packing House with the mangoes. You are the team’s leader. That’s is why you did what you did.

(Several participants are laughing.)

Isaac : Do you think that you will be able to do what I did in the future? If you have a good relationship with the Packing House, do you think in the future you will be comfortable to talk to Packing Houses managers?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: Yes we can. But we need someone to first introduce us to the mister. After the introduction and all, I can. If I am not introduced to him I find it strange for me ask for credit. I will not be able to speak with him.

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: On this problem, I went to a meeting somewhere and there were IDs. We need IDs. If we have some kind of ID we could identify that we are from Technoserve. ( A Moto is driving by.) Can I just go to the Packing House with a couple of mangoes and say I am a mango expediter? ( Laughing) I cannot. I don’t have an ID to identify myself.

(Someone outside the meeting is calling someone named Gayo)

Isaac: Does the presence of the Cell decrease the number of Voltijes in the community?

(Silence)

#7 St Gardien Idalerne ; Female ; 20 years ; None ; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell ; 3eme Segonde: I want to say yes. Many producers who were selling to the Voltijes now see the benefits they can get from the Cell and now are selling to the Cell instead.

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: No but the Voltijes are starting to feel weak now. That is why we need money to put them out of the community. (Laughing) Because since….you see this guy he is from Coupe Madigra. We (Laughing) were at the Packing House and saw several Voltijes. Each time they see him they clapped him on the back. “You are not selling us mangoes anymore.’’ They said. Now you can see that they notice something. Eventually they will leave. (Laughing)

Isaac : A few minutes ago I asked what difference you made when you sell mangoes yourself or when you sell it to the Cell and which one brings more money. I heard answers from some participants who sold to the Cell but didn’t get a chance to hear from those who didn’t. I know this gentleman was cheated by a Voltije because he mentioned that. Is there anyone else who got cheated on this season?

(Silence)

#10 Antoine Gustav ; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None: I sold to the outside buyers. I didn’t sell to the Cell. It was not good for me.

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: I told you about my experience already. I told you what I went through with the Voltijes. Do you understand what I mean? They took the mangoes and never return to pay us. We said that before, if we can get a loan before the season start we can stop the Voltijes. We can stop them from coming in. Do you understand what telling you?

Isaac : I understand. What we want to know is what is pushing you to sell on your own? Why are you selling outside the Cell?

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: Well, it’s money, money problem. We were hungry. If the Cell doesn’t have money to loan us when the Voltijes come and sweet talk us, of course we will sell to them. Didn’t you hear I said that he told me that the money is coming? Do you understand? The check doesn’t have provision on it, it can’t be cashed. He kept give me fake promises. Do you understand what I mean? If at the time you had something in your hands you wouldn’t listen to them.

We know that we have been here for a long time. We want to ask a few question before we leave. Just a reminder, please lift your numbers to identify who is talking.

Let’s have talk about the mango production in the past. We are talking about our great grandparents. What is the difference between now and then?

#7 St Gardien Idalerne ; Female ; 20 years ; None ; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell ; 3eme Segonde: Just like avocadoes, we used to shake the mango trees, fill our basket and leave. There was no such thing as selling mangoes in past. We were selling a basket of mangoes for 20 or 10 cents. It is now that we are selling mangoes, we have Voltijes buying mangoes and also Technoserve has opened a door for us to sell more mangoes.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: In the past when our parents were selling mangoes, when they got to the local markets they would find a long line of mangoes on the ground. No one was buying mangoes. Sometimes they would sell some but other times they would sell none. When you don’t sell them at the local markets you have to throw them away. Probably at the time there was a place where you could have sold them. (Someone is coughing.) Now with Technoserve, mhummmmm, our mangoes are not being wasted. What we want to ask Technoserve is to help us find more market for the mangoes. Because the product is still being, the last time we were sending our 3^rd mango truck to the Packing House they said they couldn’t take mangoes anymore. There were more than 1000 dozen mangoes.

What did you do with those mangoes ?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: We sold them at the local market. Yes, at the local market. We keep them until they are ripe and sold them at the local market.

Are you saying that there were mangoes in the past then now?

(Several participants are talking to each other. Some of them said yes.)

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: The mangoes were less back then. The quantity was less and the mangoes were not exported. There were no international buyers who wanted to buy mangoes from us back then. The product was only being sold locally. It was being wasted. It was not valued. Now the product is more. It’s being exported to international buyers. Like that woman said, we need at least 15 more Packing Houses to be associated with Technoserve. When there is a big traffic at 1 Packing House so we can go to another Packing House to sell our mangoes. It is not good for us when the product is prepared and ready and we cannot sell it.

Do you cut down mango trees sometimes ?

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: No!

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: No, a long time ago.

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde:: Like I said, the product was not valued in the past. The old generation used to cut down the trees.

What did you with the trees when you cut them down/

Several participants: Poverty. Misery. It was not valued.

Did you made wood with the trees?

Several participants: Yes, they used to make boards with them!

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: Now we don’t do that anymore, especially in this area. A producer will trim his trees but he will never cut them. Cutting mango trees is not something you will see happening anymore. The only thing you will see is a producer transforming mango trees such a Miska or Fil into Francis, only that. Now we know how valuable our mangoes are.

Number 12, you said something about transforming other mangoes to Francis, can you explain the process?

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde:: Yes. For example to regenerate a mango tree the producer would cut the branches that need to be cut. When the branches regrow he will graft them. He takes Francis and sends it on the one that is not Francis.

Ok. Does that mean to have Francis you have to send it to another kind?

(Someone is coughing.)

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: Yes. To do the grafting you take the Francis branch and cut it. You go to the other tree and cut the branch too. It needs time to be done. If you know how to do you will know what to do. If you are cutting all the branches, you cut them all and wait for them to regrow. Now you go to the Francis and take the graft and cut it. You need to give shape and place it on the other one. What you did is call grafting. At a certain time that tree will produce Francis because the graft was from the Francis tree. If the tree you did the grafting was maybe Fil you might never see that mango again on that tree.

Ok.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: That means you transform it into Francis.

Did you do grafting in the past?

Several participants: No.No. No.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane:: No. We didn’t have that system.

Does that mean you didn’t plant mangoes in the past ?

Several participants: They planted. Yes. We planted.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane:: We planted but we didn’t do grafting.

How did you plant before?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: We used to cut trees more to plant them. If that mango was Francis or Miska you would just plant the seed and let it grow.

Ok.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: It is with the Technoserve program that we are now doing grafting.

Is Technoserve the only program doing grafting?

Several participants: No. No but. Listen …

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: Where I am from it is only Technoserve doing it. Do you understand?

No one else is doing it, not even someone who is doing it as a business?

Several participants: There are others. Other people are doing it.

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: There other organizations that are doing grafting too. Because in the past we didn’t have it now we have plenty. You see me, my husband used to graft in the past. We didn’t have plenty of mango Francis like we do now. At the end of the day he would bring money that he made in grafting. If he grafted 50 trees he would bring money home to buy food for the children. Now there are people who are sent…( A lot of noise in the public can’t hear what participant said next.)

#10 Antoine Gustav ; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None: Now both adult and children has mango trees.( Laughing)

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: I have a brother in law who is an agent in CTEH, he gets paid every month.

(Several participants are talking at the same time)

#11 and #12 talking to each other : When the trees are 5 years old they start producing. Yes. 2 ½ to 3 years the mangoes are producing.

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: For example on the same that tree can start bearing fruits on the same year special if the graft was taking from a tree that was already producing. It will be up to you let it let bear fruits. The branches might be too weak that you have to eliminate the harvest. Sometimes the tree produces fruit too fast and the branches don’t have the capacity to hold the mangoes and you can cut down that harvest.

Ok. Are you saying if you graft a tree and it can produce mangoes on the same year?

(Some is coughing.)

Several participants: No. No. No. No.

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: I said the same year……(Number 8 started talking.)

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: You might not like it because the branches are too weak. Sometimes when the branches are too weak…(Several participants are speaking very loud. Having a hard time hearing what participant is saying.) Several years ago….( Several participants are still being very loud.)

(Participants are laughing.)

(Silence)

(A moto is driving by.)

Did you want to add something else number 6?

#6 Obri Pierre; Male; 50 years; 3 children; Teacher, farmer, blacksmith ; 0 ; 4eme Segonde: As for the grafting it is rarely…..( Several participants are being very loud cannot hear what is said next.)

Which one you have more of now?

#6 Obri Pierre; Male; 50 years; 3 children; Teacher, farmer, blacksmith ; 0 ; 4eme Segonde: We have more organization. Do you understand? They are doing grafting everywhere now. We also have Technoserve. Now we have more.

What I don’t understand is that you said they know how to do graft. Doesn’t your husband do grafting?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: Yes.

But why do you need someone to do it then? If you know how to do it, you don’t need Technoserve to help you. Do you see what I mean? There is an opportunity to have a business here. Why are you not doing it?

(Several participants are arguing about the grafting system among themselves.)

#6 Obri Pierre; Male; 50 years; 3 children; Teacher, farmer, blacksmith ; 0 ; 4eme Segonde: We do it. In the past it was not in big quantity. In the past we did it. Now it’s bigger.

Can you buy it at the Packing House?

#6 Obri Pierre; Male; 50 years; 3 children; Teacher, farmer, blacksmith ; 0 ; 4eme Segonde: : Yes, exactly.

During that time was mango Francis popular?

#6 Obri Pierre; Male; 50 years; 3 children; Teacher, farmer, blacksmith ; 0 ; 4eme Segonde: No. It was mango Blanc. During that time it was mango Fil, Miska and Kodok. Do you understand? There were only a few Francis tree. Francis is more popular now because the graft system.

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: Hummmm, for example, the first institution that came with the graft system was PADF.

What year was that?

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: Ahhhhh, I think that was a long time ago. St. Gardien, do you remember when?

#16 Gardien Foreresse; Male; 48 years; 6 children; Teacher; 4yrs in Cell; Rheto: In 1987[30]? Yes, 1984[31].

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: It was PADF who first did it. They gave training and Francis was so rare that they had to go to other places to buy them and bring them here. Sometimes they would give you mangoes that were not Francis. They would bring trees that were not Francis. Remember, when people are doing business they only care about the money. It was PADF who first came with the program.

Which mango do you eat the most?

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: Me ?

Yes.

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: Ahhhh, the mango I like the most might be the one that is not very healthy for the body. It is Blanc. It’s a mango that is vey delicious but it has less vitamin.

And you, which one you like the most?

#10 Antoine Gustav ; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None: Mango Blanc, it has more vitamin and I like it the most.

What about you, number 11?

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: I like Blanc more but the mister who is my husband told me that Francis has more vitamin than Blanc.

Number 6, which one you like the most ?

#6 Obri Pierre; Male; 50 years; 3 children; Teacher, farmer, blacksmith ; 0 ; 4eme Segonde: : I like mango Baptiste and Francis

What about you number 9 ?

#9 Pierre Jespe ; Male ; 30 years; 3 children ; Artist ; 1yr in Cell ; 5eme ane Fondamantal: We eat alot of mango Francis but we consume more mango Blanc because their season is longer than Francis.

What about you number 1 ?

#1 Foustan Dormevil; Male; 66 years; 5 children; farmer; 1yr in Cell; Elemante 2: Well, I eat Francis but Blanc is smoother. If I have to choose between Francis and Blanc, I won’t lie to you, I would pick Blanc.

(Several participants are laughing.)

Number 7 which one you like the most?

#7 St Gardien Idalerne ; Female ; 20 years ; None ; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell ; 3eme Segonde: Mango Francis.

Number 4 ?

#4 Poris Feliciane; Female; 66 years; 8 children; Market woman; 3yrs in Cell; Preparatwa : I like both Francis and Blanc.

(Laughing)

Number 5?

#5 Innocent Saiudan; Male; 22 years; None; Student, farmer; 2yrs in Cell; 7eme ane: Francis and Blan.

Number 2?

#2 Ivette Ville; Female; 55 years; 7 children; Market woman; 3yrs in Cell; None: I like mango Jean Marie more.

? Is there a lot of Jean Marie here?

Public : No. Not alot.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: We would like to have some but where I am from we never get any.

Number 3, which one you like the most ?

#3 Norelis Jn Roodson ; Male ; 21 years ; None; Teacher; 2yrs in Cell; 3eme ane: Francis and Blanc.

Number 13?

#13 AnnaCius Wilner ; Male; 34 years ; 2 children; Moto taxi driver ; 3yrs in Cell; 8eme anne: Mango Konn and Mango Blanc.

(Several participants are laughing.)

Let’s talk about something else. How is the production different now from the past generation?

Several participants: Yes. Of course.

#7 St Gardien Idalerne ; Female ; 20 years ; None ; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell ; 3eme Segonde: There is a change. In the past producers didn’t clean the trees. Now we clean our trees.

Ok. Is there any other change?

#3 Norelis Jn Roodson ; Male ; 21 years ; None; Teacher; 2yrs in Cell; 3eme ane: What I want to say is that in the past the producers where picking mangoes by climbing the trees and shaking them. They didn’t do any selection when picking. When they shook the trees, both immature and ripe mangoes fell down. That was an economic problem. Producers where not making money in the production. Now with the program, producers know how to select the good mangoes. Because of that the mangoes that are not yet mature have time to be mature. Producers are making more money now.

Would someone else like to add something?

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: Now the production has more value. Producers are taking better care for the production. They are not tying animals or throwing trash in their farms. Producers are taking more precaution on the production. Not only do they plant more and produce more they are making more money now.

Let’s take number 5.

(Number 5 is talking very low.) Can you please speak louder?

(A cell phone started ringing)

#5 Innocent Saiudan; Male; 22 years; None; Student, farmer; 2yrs in Cell; 7eme ane: Something that is very good in the program is when you least expect you get a surprise. Producers didn’t use to take precaution on the production. They used to tie animals on the farms. Now they don’t do that anymore. They used to tie pigs on the farms now they are protecting the farms because the mangoes are bringing in more money.

Ok. Let ask another question. Are the men picking the mangoes?

#5 Innocent Saiudan; Male; 22 years; None; Student, farmer; 2yrs in Cell; 7eme ane: Yes.

(Several participants are arguing about that among themselves.)

Do the women have a special role in the production? Are there things only men do?

#7 St Gardien Idalerne ; Female ; 20 years ; None ; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell ; 3eme Segonde: Now there are no such things as only men climbing trees. Women climb trees too. If there is no man around to pick the mangoes, I pick mangoes and sort them just the same as a man. Everyone is involved, in the production there are no men only, or women only.

Has it been always like that?

(A moto is driving by.)

#7 St Gardien Idalerne ; Female ; 20 years ; None ; Teacher; 3yrs in Cell ; 3eme Segonde: Before it were only men climbing trees. Now both men and women are the same.

Is there any change in the production?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: Yes, there are changes. Since I was a young girl I was climbing trees. I was climbing trees to pick Kayimit[32]. Each time I see a fruit I would climb the Kayimit tree. Now with Technoserve the animators need to hurry up because I know how to climb trees like any man. I trimmed my trees. I don’t need anyone to pick mangoes for me.

(Participants are clapping.)

Let me ask another question. Who sells mangoes, women or men?

Several participants: Ahhhh, everyone. Everyone sells mangoes. Everyone sells.

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: Some men don’t, women sell mangoes. These men like money too much.

(The public is laughing.)

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: I am suppose to be selling the mangoes.

Ok. Let me add something else. Have the men been always involved in the selling or is this something new?

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: They like money since the past. Now the money from selling mangoes is too good and they want to do the selling.

Now they are more intelligent?

(Several participants started laughing.)

#10 Antoine Gustav ; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None: Well, I like it like that. Anyway men are supposed to sell mangoes because they are the ones who plant mangoes.

Several participants Whattttttttt? Where?

#10 Antoine Gustav ; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None:: (Laughing) Women don’t plant mangoes. .

Several participants : Whattttttttt?

Ladies do you agree with that ?

(Everyone started laughing.)

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal:: Well, let me give you a story. Women should be selling mangoes. Women are better at managing money.

Several participants: Yes! Give it to them!

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: I went to see Barack and return the money. Barack said to me, ‘‘What are you talking about Madam? I did GPS and everything that needed to be done on the mangoes already.’’ ‘‘I am not selling my mangoes for this price.’’ I said to him. I stood my ground with Barack and when I was going to see him I did not wear a simple dress. No, I wore a pair of PANTS!

I can’t say that I know everything but I was raised from a family that is smart. One day I got up and went out to do the washing. When I came back from washing my husband told me that he sold mangoes. I asked him who did he sell them too and he said to a Voltije. I told him, ‘‘Didn’t I tell you I was not selling my mangoes to Voltije but to the Cell?’’ He said, ‘‘ I am leaving the mango trees on that place for you. You can sell them to the Cell. The reason I sold them was because I was broke.’’ I asked him, ‘‘ How much did you sell them for?’’ ‘‘I sold them for $1200HT[33].’’ He said. ‘‘Ohhhhh ! For how much money you said?’’ I asked. ‘‘Are you saying that I made a bad deal?’’ He asked.

Last year the trees did not bear a lot of mangoes and we only sold for $800HT[34]. For him because he sold the mangoes for $1200HT. At that time that was a big deal for him. I took the money from him to return it to the buyer. My husband had already sent 1000 gourdes to our first born who is going to university in Mirebalais. I told him that I won’t be misguided by that and I will return the money to buyer. Some people told me that the buyer already did, what do you call it? ( Male participant : GPS) did GPS on the mangoes and he won’t give me more money for the mangoes. I said to them that’s his problem not mine. I got up and went to Doudou’s house to talk to, what is the guy’s name? (Female participant: Barack) I went to see Barack and return the money to him. Barack said to me, ‘‘what are talking about Madam? I did GPS and everything that needed to be done on the mangoes already.’’ ‘‘I am not selling my mangoes for this price.’’ I said to him. I stood my ground with Barack and when I was going to see him I did wear a simple dress. No, I wore a pair of PANTS!

(Participants are laughing.)

When I told Barck, ‘‘Here is your money. I am not selling my mangoes for less than $1800HT[35]’’. On my way to see Barack I stopped somewhere and borrowed the 1000 gourdes[36] my husband spent. ‘That price is not good for me’’ said Barack. Actually my mangoes are supposed to be sold for $2000HT[37], I said to him. Isn’t your name Charles Marie Jose? You already signed your name here. Your husband signed your name on the receipt, said Barack. I just ignored him. When Barack saw how angry I was and I was serious about returning the money, when I placed the money on his desk, he said to me that he will add $300HT[38] more. I told him no $300HT is not enough that he needs to add $500HT instead. I told him that I was going to sell my mangoes for $1800HT and I will deduct only $100HT for him. He didn’t agree.

At the end he added $400HT[39] more. When I got home I told the mister that I sold the mangoes for $1600HT[40] he was surprised. ‘‘Is that true? I didn’t know that. If I knew I would not have sold the mangoes’’, he said. ‘‘That is why I told you don’t sell the mangoes because you don’t how to make good deals’’, I said to him.

My husband is more knowledgeable than me. He knows everything. That means some people can be very knowledgeable but women are harder than men. Women know how to make better deals than men.

(Participants are laughing.)

That is why the mister is in another Cell and I am in this Cell. Now he sells a portion of the mangoes in his Cell and I sell a portion on my Cell. There are a lot of things he likes in my Cell. He always said, ‘‘Here are mangoes I want you to sell them.’’ Do you know what he likes the most? He likes the trainings the most. He has a lot of land with mango trees on them. There is a half of an acre land that we only have 1 mango tree on it, only 1 mango tree. He likes the mango production very much, but this year that mango tree didn’t bear fruit. The tree needs grooming but he doesn’t want me to trim it. He said when I trim the mango trees I mistreat them. As for me, when I trim my trees that is when the trees produce more mangoes.

Now this year when I called buyers to buy the mangoes on that tree, no one wants to buy the mangoes because the mangoes are tiny with marks on them. When he saw that he said to me, ‘‘Marie Jose, you can look for a solution for the problem. You are in charge now. I am never home. Find someone to trim the trees.’’

As for me, I am only selling my mangoes to the Cell. I want to sell a lot of mangoes to the Cell. I had mangoes that I sold to Voltije but next year I am only selling to the Cell. I have more guarantees when I sell my mangoes to the Cell.

I sold some mangoes with the mister knowing but I didn’t sell to the Cell. That’s a woman thing. The mister sold the mangoes and I took the rejected ones and sold them to a Voltije. That Voltije told me, just like that mister told you, ‘‘You can pick the mangoes and sell them to me. I will send the money for you.’’ Oh my god, I was very hungry I would have taken that money and buy food with it. That Voltije took the mangoes and never give 1 gourde. He left with the money. Up until now I never heard from him.

I was so embarrassed I didn’t say anything to the mister. The mister would be mad. He would want to know why I sell mangoes to these people. Until now I have not said anything to him. That money is lost. That Voltije will never pay me.

Why are you still selling to the Voltije despite all the abuse you got from them. Are the Voltije local people?

Several participants: No. No. They are not local.

Where are they from?

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: The one I sold to was from Cabarret. I know someone who knows where he lives. There are producers he owe $1000HT[41]. He only owes me $250HT[42]. Thank god he didn’t owe more than that.

How do they get in contact with you?

#12 Jn Baptiste Marc Mesulma ; Male ; 51years ; 8 children ; Farmer; 1yr in Cell ; Sekonde: They just appeared. They arrive in the field.

#11 Charles Mairie Jose; Female; 45 years; 8 children; Farmer; 1yr in cell ; 3eme ane Fondamantal: They have local people who walk around with them. One of them knew I had 2 mules and 1 died and the mangoes being wasted. He found a buyer for me. When that buyer came we set a price and I was very happy, like I was giving birth to a baby. I was very happy to help with picking the mangoes because I thought the buyer was an honest person. The person who came with the buyer said to me, ‘ I can bring the money to you if by any chance you don’t see the buyer anymore because I know him personally.’ You think that the buyer brought back the money? That person who told me to sell my mangoes to that Voltije each time I see him, I said to him ‘My child have you heard from the Voltije yet?’ This is what he said to me, ‘‘I don’t know anything about that. You are the one that sold your mangoes to that Voltije. I don’t know regarding that issue.’’

(Several participants are laughing and joking.)

Do the locals who walk around with the Voltije have a name?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: Yes. They have their own name.

What do you call them?

(Several participants continue laughing and joking.)

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: I don’t know. Workers?

Do they name them brokers?

(Participants are talking very loud.)

Several participants: Yes, brokers. Yes. Yes, they are brokers. Mmh-hummmm. They call them brokers. They are called Scammers.

(Several participants continue laughing and joking.)

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: For example, what happened here this year…( Other participants are talking very loud can’t hear what respondent said next)

We want to thank every single one of you for participating in this meeting and also take the time to congratulate all of you for this great work you are doing in the mango production in the country. You all know that the country needs all of you to move it forward. I don’t know if you would like to say something else before we finish?

#10 Antoine Gustav ; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None: Well, Ma’am I would like for the Cell to be more interested in grafting. We have a lot mango trees that still need to be grafted. By next year we want the Cell to get more mangoes than usual.

Do you need more people doing graft?

#10 Antoine Gustav ; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None: Yes.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: We barely have anyone doing graft now.

That is what I am trying to understand. You said there are…( Number 8 interrupted.)

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: I don’t graft if the grafting is being by the state.

Were they doing it for free?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: Yes, it was being done for free. They didn’t even take 1 gourde from you to graft your trees.

Your husband does grafting?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane:: He doesn’t do it anymore. Now, he is not doing it.

Why?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane:: One of my Brothers –in- Law used to do it. He was doing it for free for everyone. Every month he would get paid. With that money he would buy some animals. Now the program had stopped. I don’t what the problem is.

Several participants: The program stopped. It stopped.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: I will have to ask him if the program will continue or not.

Does that means there are special tools needed to do graft.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: Yes, they gave tools. They give Mango tools and there is also some kind of gelatin and a clipper.

Can you get this gelatin in the country?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: Yes. That gelatin is a special gelatin. There is also something transparent like the ones they cover tablecloth with.

Several participants: That transparent thing is a tape. It’s a tape.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane::. If he doesn’t have that special tape he does the grafting with transparent.

Can you all do grafting?

Several participants: No we cannot do it. We cannot do it. Yes, I do grafting.

Are there any producers here who needs grafting to done on the mango trees?

Several participants: Me. Yes, many producers.

Why are you not doing the grafting ?

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: We can’t find anyone to do it.

Your husband knows how to it. Why doesn’t he do it?

(Several participants are laughing)

#10 Antoine Gustav ; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None:: Her husband is a clerk now. He’s always at the court.

(Laughing.)

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: (Laughing) He doesn’t do it anymore.

If we can find someone to the grafting are you willing to pay that person ?

Several participants: Yes. I would agree to do that.

(Participants are talking among themselves.)

#10 Antoine Gustav ; Male; 50 year; None; Farmer; 1yr in Cell; None: From the Cell, I had a cousin who used to do grafting but he doesn’t do it anymore.

Why doesn’t he want to do anymore?

A male participant talking very low: I am not making any money from it.

People are not paying you?

Participant continues: Mhummmmm, people would tell me to do grafting for them but won’t pay me.

#8 Placide Idalma ; Female; 36 years ; 6 children ; Market woman ; 4yrs in Cell ; 6eme ane: You do it too expensive. When the mister my husband used to do grafting it was 25 gourdes per tree. You are charging 100 gourdes per tree.

(Participants are discussing grafting fees. You can hear people started leaving.)

[1] Participant stutters

[2] bonus

[3] Participant stutters

[4] Hand in hand

[5] Stand up

[6] The fruit is related to the lychee and have tight, thin but rigid skins.

[7] $400US

[8] $500US

[9] Technically saying there was a lot of mangoes coming to the Packing House.

[10] Walking fast

[11] $3US

[12] A tool for picking mangoes

[13] $3US

[14] $10US

[15] $15US

[16] $1US

[17] $.3US

[18] $.4US

[19] $40US

[20] $50US

[21] $.6US

[22] $.9US

[23] $100US

[24] $90US

[25] $60US

[26] Technically means steamed

[27] Technically means cut or open

[28] $10US

[29] $1,000US

[30] 1987

[31] 1984

[32] A small purple fruit.

[33] $120US

[34] $80US

[35] $180US

[36] $20US

[37] $200US

[38] $30US

[39] $40US

[40] $160US

[41] $100US

[42] $25US

Total Focus Groups with Mango Producers for Haiti Hope

Focus Group Ennery

Lachapelle

Seau D’eau

Presentation

Responses Begin

Contact

Social