Customs Collects a Record 11.5 Billion Gourdes in October Despite Plunging Fuel Revenue

Haiti’s General Customs Administration (AGD) collected 11.5 billion gourdes in October 2026, up 1.75% from 11.3 billion in the same month of 2025. According to the agency’s monthly customs revenue report, that is a record for the month of October in its statistical records. The increase came, however, amid a sharp drop in revenue from petroleum products.

Revenue falls short of targets despite year-on-year growth

Despite the year-on-year increase, the AGD missed its revenue target for the month. Against a forecast of 13.2 billion gourdes, it brought in 11.5 billion, or 87.06% of the goal. Collections on goods, however, beat their target, reaching 10.76 billion gourdes, or 101.07% of forecasts. Petroleum revenue, by contrast, came in at just 739.86 million gourdes against a target of 2.56 billion — only 28.86% of the goal.

Fuel revenue down 72.70%

The customs administration attributes the shortfall in fuel revenue mainly to the Haitian government’s subsidy policy, which has kept pump prices unchanged despite volatility and rising prices on international markets. Compared with October 2025, revenue from these products fell 72.70%, from 2.71 billion to 739.86 million gourdes. Meanwhile, the customs value of imported goods rose 38.48% to 53.47 billion gourdes, and their net weight increased 11.43%. Duty exemptions granted also rose 66.67% to 2.17 billion gourdes.

Mixed results across regional offices

Several regional offices posted standout results. The Cap-Haïtien office saw collections jump 66.8% to 1.93 billion gourdes, while Port-au-Prince remained the largest contributor with 7.72 billion, up 12.2%. Miragoâne recorded a 238.6% increase, Saint-Louis-du-Sud 146.9%, Saint-Marc 98.5% and Ouanaminthe 18.1%. Collections fell, however, in Jacmel (-45.7%) and at SONAPI (-68.2%). The petroleum depot also posted a 72.7% decline.

AGD plans tighter customs controls

In response, the AGD plans to strengthen controls on customs valuation, tariff classification and the assessment of duties and taxes, while stepping up oversight of exemptions and duty-free allowances. The agency also intends to build on the performance of its regional offices, address underperforming areas and modernize its statistical tools. Despite falling short of its monthly forecast, it believes that the growth in revenue from goods and the results of several regional offices are gains to build on in order to improve public revenue mobilization over the long term.

Translated from the original French by the Hebdo24 newsroom.