UMPIH directors also urged to continue with flexible and adapted rules for tenders, to facilitate access to micro, small and medium-sized companies
The Dominican flour industry they advocated that delays in payments be overcome on National Institute of Student Welfare (Inabie) to the school breakfast bread vendors. They also urged to continue with flexible and adapted rules for tenders, to facilitate access to micro, small and medium enterprises.
The directors of the Union of Medium and Small Flour Industrialists (UMPIH) they highlighted that unabie owes more than RD$400 million to the entity’s cooperative through suppliers. And there are delays in payments until May of last year, despite the fact that the contracts say that payments are made within a maximum period of 60 days.
The president of the entity, Issachart Burgosexpressed that the cooperative lends up to five months to members and after six months it no longer delivers more resources, so they fear that if the situation continues they will have to suspend credit in April unless unabie pay and the cooperative is capitalized.
Said when they get close to unabie to inquire about payments they say they are in process. Understand that the entity makes an effort to pay.
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Regarding the tenders, he explained that they are now held every two years and the last one ended in May 2021 and the one for the 2022-2024 period has not yet been published and they hope that the specifications will be flexible and that they maintain the same conditions as in the previous tenders, as well as that they continue to be exclusive for the mipyme. He explained that they fear that in the bidding the folds of conditions will be used as barriers to exclude MSMEs.
Burgos He said they have discussed this with him. unabie at a dialogue table with the sector.
The numbers
The flour industrialists support that the bidding processes be carried out every two years. The term in which Inabie must pay the contracts to its suppliers is 60 days, but it takes much longer.
More than 60 days
Burgos affirms that MSMEs are not in a position to finance the debts of the Condition. 235 Dominican bakeries are supplying bread and are part of the UMPIH, and are from the same province where each school operates.
400 million pesos
A sum greater than this amount is what the National Institute of Student Welfare (Inabie) owes to the members of the Union of Medium and Small Flour Industrialists (UMPIH).
They advocate cultivating sorghum to reduce the use of wheat
Faced with the increase in the price of wheat, the main input for making bread, the Dominican flour industry urges the government to encourage the cultivation and processing of sorghum, a cereal that can be turned into flour and reduce the use of wheat flour by up to 20%.
The president of the UMPIHIssachart Burgos, suggests that public-private partnerships can be encouraged to produce sorghum and reduce wheat imports.
He explained that sorghum is cheaper than producing wheat, of which there are no conditions in the country to grow it.
He said that the UMPIH can install a mill to process sorghum, but it needs state help.
“This is a gluten-free cereal, which means that many people with special health conditions could eat it,” said. He expressed that there is a lot of idle land in the country and it can be cultivated in drier areas such as the South region and the border area, so jobs can be encouraged and created in depressed areas.
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He stressed that sorghum is a cereal that mixed with wheat flour does not alter its flavor, color and texture in a percentage of 20%.
“In addition, you give a job opportunity to hundreds of families in depressed areas of the country that have no possibilities and that could grow white sorghum,” said Burgos.
