The head of the Agricultural Secretariat of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Adriano Sanchez Roa, revealed that the Dominican Republic increased food imports by US$900.7 million in 2021, equivalent to RD$51.3 billion, despite the extraordinary production conditions in the country.
“To the detriment of producers and consumers, the imported volume in 2021 increased by 330,730 metric tons of food and agricultural supplies, that is, from a volume purchased abroad in 2020 of 3,796,373 metric tons, imports made in 2021 they increased to 4,127,103 metric tons,” said the former senator.
Sánchez Roa specified that this enormous increase in imports of food and agricultural supplies during the year 2021, established a record never seen before, of US$4,040,491,028, despite the fact that in 2020 imports had barely been US$3,139,786,120.0, despite crucial moments of the pandemic.
He explained that by sustaining the food of the Dominican people on imports, that is, on production obtained abroad, the government is leading to the loss of national sovereignty and the impoverishment of the country’s poor and middle classes.
Sánchez Roa, former union leader, revealed that in this context, due to the reduction in production in 42 agricultural items, meat and milk, the country lost 13.8% of food self-sufficiency in the last 18 months, influencing this in the increase in rural poverty and in the neighborhoods of large cities.
The former administrator of the Agricultural Bank said that last December, given the fall in production, the Ministry of Agriculture imported RD$23.5 billion, to bring RD$9.8 million quintals of food and supplies, so that the grocery stores and supermarkets were full of products harvested abroad, while the Dominican lands remained vacant.
The agricultural expert and person in charge of agricultural policies of the PLD cited the increase in cereal imports, which went from US$376.0 million in 2020 to US$589.9 million in 2021; the milk, dairy products and others of the area that was acquired in 2021 was US$294.0 million, while in 2020 only a value of US$262.9 million was purchased.
He added that US$50.6 million of coffee was purchased abroad in 2021, when in 2020 US$47.1 million had been purchased; Regarding fats and oils, the value of US$362.4 million was purchased in 2021, when in 2020 only US$227.4 million was purchased; In meat and edible offal, the country imported US$330.3 million during 2021, but in 2020 US$189.5 million had been acquired.
Sánchez Roa pointed out that the country can halve this very high level of food imports in a short time, since it has enough quality soils, privileged climates, enough water, lands with different altitudes, farmers with vast experience and experienced professionals, to produce food for Dominicans.
