The legislative proposal to exempt basic necessities that the country imports from taxes will not have the expected impact, because many of these products are more expensive abroad than in the Dominican Republic.
This was stated by José Rafael Compres, upon being sworn in as the new president of the Board of Directors of the Dominican Agribusiness Board. (JAD).
“And if eventually they were cheaper, the difficulties that the world is experiencing, due to the supply chain and the lack of containers, we are not sure that these foods will arrive at the expected time and at the best price,” he said.
“Because of the experience we have with international trade of agricultural origin, we can ensure that depending on the circumstances, a food can be very expensive today, and very cheap tomorrow,” he added.
He said that high prices at one time and low prices at another are temporary situations that a country with a stable economy, a democratic government and national producers committed to food self-sufficiency should not rush into.
“President Luis Abinader and his agricultural team have shown an unquestionable commitment to support national production, exploring all measures within their reach to promote its sustainable development, despite the progress made by the Government, the JAD considers that this Legislative initiative, recently, would not have the expected impact in alleviating the cost of food, because many of these products are more expensive abroad than in the Dominican Republic,” he said.
In this sense, the president of the JAD made a series of proposals, including increasing the supply of chickens and eggs, as well as the planting of beans and pigeon peas.
“Let’s continue supporting the production of milk and meat from cattle, support us with more resources for seeds and technical assistance to the garlic producers of Constanta and let’s eradicate African swine disease from pigs and reestablish the national herd,” he proposed.
He also proposed increasing corn production and supporting the production of edible oils and pasta made in the country, among others, with targeted policies.