Above: the Brana brewery makes Prestige beer, among other beverages

By the Caribbean Journal staff

USAID and Haiti’s Brana Brewery have signed a memorandum of understanding aiming to source sorghum locally in Haiti.

Brana, which is a subsidiary of Heineken, will partially replace its imported malted barley, which is uses to make the non-alcoholic Malta H drink, with sorghum grown in Haiti.

As part of the agreement, USAID will help train Haitian farmers in “modern agricultural techniques,” according to a statement.

Brana will invest in upgrading both the storage and processing facilities at the brewery, according to a release.

The signing ceremony was held at Brana’s factory in Port-au-Prince this week.

The two sides said the agreement would help improve salaries and create jobs for around 18,000 small-scale farmers in Haiti.

Earlier this year, Heineken announced it would be investing $40 million to expand and upgrade the brewery.

At the end of 2011, Heineken raised its stake in Brana from 22.5 percent to 95 percent.