The president of the Dominican Rice Union (UAD), Marcelo Reyes, said that the first meeting of the Inter-institutional Commission, led by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs (MICM), created by President Luis Abinader, was convened for next Tuesday to discuss the issue of rice and DR- CAFTA.
Reyes, who also chairs the Dominican Federation of Rice Producers (Fenarroz), explained that this Monday the place, time and topics on the agenda will be defined.
The president of the UAD and Fenarroz explained that the prices of “Selecto A” rice in the Dominican Republic maintain their prices in the markets between 28 and 30 pesos per pound, which when taken in kilograms would be 62 pesos, about 1.08 dollars.
He stated that this confirms what the UAD has been warning Dominican consumers: that to deliver this essential product to imports from the United States would undermine the price stability of the cereal that it has exhibited in the last 20 years and would put it at unsuspected price levels.
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The president of the UAD indicated that “this would be very easily explained by the absence of competition with local production in this fateful scenario, similar to the one experienced by the neighboring country of Haiti.”
Reyes added that self-sufficiency, security and food sovereignty are privileges and great treasures longed for by any developing country.
Finally, he emphasized that the UAD will always fulfill its mission of informing the country of the reality of national rice production.
Relevant data of the rice sector:
- More than 30,000 producers from 21 provinces and 35 municipalities of the country are engaged in this crop, in many of which rice is the engine of their local economy.
- The cultivation and processing of this grain generates more than 80 thousand jobs and close to 320 thousand indirect jobs.
- In the country there are some 300 agro-industries or cereal factories and a very long chain of other small, medium and large companies that market the product.
- The constant effort, technological innovation and investment by producers and the State have made the country self-sufficient and even an exporter of surplus rice. This in addition to ensuring food safety and helps save foreign currency.
- The volume of white rice production is close to 14 million quintals per year.
- The monetary contribution of the rice sector exceeds 32 billion pesos per year. The country saves about 550 million dollars a year in imports that it would have to do if the rice economy fails.
