Above: Haiti PM Laurent Lamothe and Brazil FM Antonio de Aguiar Patriota

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe continued his Brazilian trip Tuesday with a meeting with Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio de Aguiar Patriota.

The two sides agreed to facilitate the ratification of an agreement called “Hope-Help,” which would cover incentives in Haiti’s textile sector and “create thousands of jobs,” according to a statement from Lamothe’s office.

The two sides discussed the issue of bioethanol production, in which Brazil has become a global leader.

Haiti and Brazil signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the issue of increasing agricultural production capacity to ensure food security, an issue which has plagued Haiti in recent years due in part to a series of natural disasters that crippled its agricultural sector.

Brazil is currently supporting the cotton production sector in Haiti, following an agreement signed with the United Nations last year.

Another bilateral agreement signed Tuesday covered academic and research programmes.

Lamothe began his Brazil visit on Monday.