SANTO DOMINGO.-In the midst of the pandemic and now the crisis due to the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the Dominican Republic has increased the production of food products from the countryside, assured the Minister of Agriculture, Limber Cruz, who spoke about the sector when participating in the 37th Regional Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in Quito, Ecuador, over the weekend.
The minister pointed out that although it cannot be said that prices have fallen, inflation has remained stable in the midst of the current situation and the escalated increase in all inputs that reach the field.
Food safety
The FAO held its Regional Conference out of concern for food security, in which each country explained what they are doing, where they are currently and where they are heading to face the rises in commodities, oil and its derivatives, as well as the transport and containers.
According to Minister Cruz, the harvests are the highest in recent years in rice, bananas, vegetables, eggs, chicken and other agricultural products, which was recognized and applauded by the member countries of the FAO at the meeting.
Cruz specified that the country is producing 85% of the food it consumes and pointed out that all the decisions made by the Government have caused that there is no lack of products in the country or that there is a need to rationalize national consumption.
“All this has happened in developed countries; they are rationalizing the products of the basic basket, but still nobody here can say that nothing has been lacking”, explained the Minister of Agriculture of the DR.
He said that 1,100,000 quintals of rice were imported into the country and this year there was a surplus of 1,400,000 quintals.
Only rice production this year was 14.4 million quintals, which represents 15% more than previous years; In vegetables, 80% of production is exported and 20% is local consumption.
Inequality
— Cause of famine
The FAO representative in the region, Julio Berdegué, said that in Latin America and the Caribbean there is no hunger due to lack of food and farmers, but because there is a lot of inequality.
PRM supports tariff suspension project
Equipment. The Technical and Public Policy Secretary of the Modern Revolutionary Party, Miguel Ceara Hatton, accompanied by the members of the Executive Directorate, Limber Cruz and Fernando Durán, yesterday expressed his support for the bill that seeks to suspend tariffs on a group of products from the family basket.
During a press conference at the National House of the political organization, he said that the Government will guarantee food at adequate prices and will also continue to protect national producers.
He said that the Government, with the proposed law to suspend the tariffs paid by 67 food products to enter the country, seeks to protect the budget of the Dominican family.
