With more than 9.5 million acres of land under irrigation, the Dominican Republic supplies the demand of the local market through a production agricultural sector that already supplies more than 90% of the basic food basket.
Now, the agricultural sector must be considered how increase his productivity to expand its offer to 10.7 million Dominicans, more than 10 million tourists (12 million projected at the end of this year) and the rest of consumers around the world that imports the country’s products, officials, businessmen and leaders agreed on Wednesday agricultural sector.
Around 650 people gathered at the Twenty-Sixth National Meeting of Leaders of the Agricultural Sectoran annual meeting organized by the Dominican Agrobusiness Board (JAD), and whose central theme is about “The challenges to feed 24 million people consumers“.
Increase in the production
During the opening of the meeting, the executive president of the JADOsmar Benítez, explained that, although the agricultural sector has increased its productionthere is still much to do to increase his productivity and further integrate technologies into the field.
The Minister of Agriculture, Limber Cruz, agreed with this and believes that the country is heading in the right direction in terms of productionreaching a record of 370 million quintals of food between 2020 and 2024.
He indicated that This is evident in headings like chicken –which went from producing 16 million units per month to 21 million– and eggs –which went from 240 million units per month to 350 million currently–.
He also highlighted the promotion to a greater sowing in others headingsas:
- The beefwhose production averages 1.39 million quintals
- He pigwhich averages 850,000 quintals
- Plantains and bananas, with 3,270 million units and 60.8 million bunches respectively
- He tomatowith 5 million quintals of tomato industrial and 2.9 million quintals of tomato of salad
- Chili peppers, with an average of 1.5 million quintals
- Vegetables, with a production of 4.5 million quintals on average
- Sugar, with 12.5 million quintals
- He avocadowith 1,808 million units
- Lemon, with 1,407 million units
- Mango, with 254.3 million units
- The milkwith a production annual of 19 million liters
He also highlighted that the country has managed to reduce the number of people infected with COVID-19 from 8.3% to 4.6%. undernourishment in the countrya milestone that is recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
“Today we are in a position of reference in it world“, the official said.
Challenges of the sector
Despite the performance exhibited by the agricultural sectorthere are factors that pose serious limitations for the future, Benítez pointed out.
Some of them are the climate change accelerated, the aging progressive decline of producers – whose average age is up to 79 years in some agricultural provinces of the country – the lack of generational change of agricultural technicians, the growing migration from the countryside to the city and the loss of arable land due to the growth of cities.
