The Zero rate on imports of some products will not lower the prices of basic foodsdue to the scheme practiced in the country, so the only solution for the Food Basket to be affordable to the Dominican people, is to increase national production, said the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD).
The zero-rate bill submitted by the Executive Power has already been approved in the Chamber of Deputies and in the first reading in the Senate, For this reason, the PLD agricultural minister, former senator Adriano Sánchez Roa, suggested to “the senators reject that initiative, because it is unfair competition against Dominican producers.”
When participating in the “Points of View” program produced by journalist Dania Goris for Color Vision, Sánchez Roa assured that to avoid the collapse of the agricultural sector and that the supply is not with expensive food produced abroad, it is necessary to proceed with a truly aggressive production schedule.
“There is no other way out than to immediately implement a support program for agricultural production on uncultivated and underutilized land, to increase the national supply of the main items consumed by the Dominican people, such as chicken meat, eggs, beans, pigeon peas, bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes, potatoes, vegetables and vegetables, “they said.
Sánchez Roa explained that the new production plan must be subsidizedas do the nations with which we compete, preparing land free of charge, delivering high-quality certified seeds and planting materialsfinancing with grace periods and zero rates, resolve the problems of professionals so that they guarantee technical assistance and improve marketing mechanisms.
He added that it is also necessary to facilitate the acquisition of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, as well as giving the same treatment to fuel for agricultural use, as that given to transport drivers, all because it is necessary to harvest food at costs that can be purchased by the middle classes and the poor of the country.
Sánchez Roa indicated that in cases where some imports are essential, it is necessary to establish an oversight commission as a mechanism to provide greater transparency to the decision-making and administration process of approving agricultural imports, where in addition to officials, the commission is made up of producers and agricultural professional associations.
