Banana Link has joined local civil society and private sector actors in the Dominican Republic in calling for urgent action to regularise migrant workers in the nations banana sector (full text below). The Dominican banana industry relies heavily on Haitian migrant workers planting, cutting, caring for and harvesting the fruit which ends up in the hands of Dominican and European consumers. Today, the banana workforce – around 80% of which are of Haitian origin – is jeopardised by a government decree to deport 10,000 undocumented Haitian migrants per week.
In a joint letter, Banana Link, alongside the National Banana and Agricultural Workers Union (SINTRAPBAA), the national trade union confederation CASC, migrants rights organisation Fundación Étnica Integral (La FEI) and the Banana Producers and Exporters Association of Montecristi (ASEXBAM), have called for specific measures to protect the Dominican banana industry and defend the human rights of workers. In particular, we call for urgent action to:
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Renew expired migration documents of Haitian workers.
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Thoroughly review the migration status of current detainees, ensuring that those who comply with regulations are not deported.
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Establish a streamlined regularisation programme, allowing Haitian workers to continue contributing to the Dominican economy without fear of deportation.
The banana sector generates around $300 million USD a year in exports and employs an estimated 70,000 Haitian migrant workers directly. According to Martin Peña, Executive Director of the Dominican Association of Banana Producers (Adobanano), the lack of Haitian labour is seriously affecting packing and shipping operations. This has generated great concern among international buyers, who depend on a steady, quality supply. It is reported that the Dominican exports to the UK – its second biggest market – fell from $120 million to just $67 million since 2016, while market share has more than halved in the same period. A similar decline has occurred in other European markets.
Since 2021, when president Jovenel Moïse was assassinated, Haiti has experienced a rapidly escalating security and humanitarian crisis. In October 2023, in response to a dispute over water, the Dominican Republic closed its border with Haiti and suspended the issue or renewal of work, study or travel visas for Haitian nationals. This has resulted in workers being unable to obtain or renew documents legalising their residency. A year later, in October 2024, the government announced a new migration policy: a target to deport 10,000 undocumented Haitian migrants per week. In a country with just over eleven million inhabitants, this huge number represents the equivalent of almost 0.01% of the national population. The new target would double the number of migrants deported in 2023.
The massive deportations have resulted in labour instability that is jeopardising the agricultural industry and the country’s ability to meet its export commitments. At the same time, it is generating a climate of fear and anxiety on banana plantations. The effects are felt beyond the banana industry: Haitian workers are fundamental to the operation of other agricultural industries such as rice and sugar, as well as construction and tourism. The solutions put forward by signatories of the letter would not only avoid the paralysis of key productive sectors and protect national economic stability, but would also ensure the respect of human rights, according to signatories. The mass deportation scheme has been under fire from humanitarian organisations such as Amnesty International due to concerns about racial profiling and the need to protect children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups.
The Dominican banana industry is a key source of organic and Fairtrade certified bananas in Europe, with bananas predominantly grown on small and medium sized farms, in many cases on family farms. Trade union representatives point out that, despite the hostile migration policy, Haitian workers are often treated fairly by employers who are sympathetic to their situation. In recent weeks producers and union leaders have been engaged in direct action to prevent the deportation of banana plantation workers, travelling to detention centres along the border to advocate for their release, a process that often involves the payment of charges on the part of employers to secure the release of their employees.
Industry leaders have noted that the diminishing export industry has taken the heaviest toll on smaller family farms, many of whom are going out of business. Urgent action is required to support not only migrant workers but also the small farmers and businesses who make up around 70% of producers. European buyers – who represent around 95% of the Dominican export market – are increasingly influenced by the movement towards mandatory human rights due diligence in supply chains in their sourcing strategy, making them highly cautious of potential human rights violations. We are at a critical juncture: a solution to provide migrant workers with legal documentation is urgently needed to prevent further loss of market share to countries with more stable workforces. Banana Link is ready to collaborate with industry stakeholders in working towards a solution to this impasse.
