CEO of Jamaica Broilers Group Christopher Levy says a complete withdrawal of from Haiti is not feasible just yet, however, the company has begun winding down its operations there with that goal in mind. 

Speaking on Taking Stock with Kalilah Reynolds, Levy said that the situation in Haiti is too volatile for the company to safely and successfully conduct business.

The country which was the first colony to gain independence has been plagued by poor leadership for many years, as well as several devastating natural disasters. 

“When we invested about 12 years ago, we saw very encouraging signs for structure, discipline and law and order,” Levy said.

JBG’s Haitian operation included a small amount of poultry but was mainly focused on breakfast eggs.

“We at one point produced more eggs in Haiti than anywhere in the Caribbean, we were the largest producer in the Caribbean. It was doing well and we saw the potential,” the CEO said. 

However, following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise and the attempted assassination of his wife, the country has devolved into political and gang warfare. Shortly after the assassination, the country was struck by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake which killed more than 2000 people—some 650,000 people were displaced.

“It’s very difficult to do business there; it’s not safe, and it’s really a tragic story. We really are disappointed in a lot of ways, because it could have been a good run,” Levy said. 

He said that the company is focused on consolidating its operations.

“From a business perspective, I don’t think it’s prudent to put any more money in Haiti,” he said.

He said that a “hard stop”  in the country would be very difficult as there are roughly 400,000 chickens in the country with a lifespan of a year. 

“So, the decision of a hard stop gets very expensive in terms of terminating and kinda just have to think, ‘how do you wind this down’?,” he explained.

Levy said he is not opposed to possibly revamping the company’s operations in Haiti, however, he said he does not believe the political situation in the country will be resolved at any time so and the first priority is always to ensure that the staff can be safe.