before independence
Before its independence ,the main source of Haitian economy was plantation agriculture. The original economic basis was sugar plantation, and the French introduced coffee. Among all the other crops that were grown, such as cotton and cacao, sugar and coffee were the most important. At that time, Haiti was the most profitable colony under French plantation system, and was in competition with Brazil, which previously had been the major source of sugar for Europe.
AFTER INDEPENDENCE
After the wars, some Haitians attempted to retain the plantation agriculture but failed. The land was turned into small scale farms but these small farms devoted only a part of their resources to growing export crops like sugar and coffee. Therefore, the output was consumed domestically and there was no exports of these crops. |