As a result of the African swine fever, President Luis Abinader asked the Dominican Agribusiness Board (JAD) to prepare a proposal to improve the social situation of small pig producers, who have seen the production of beef as an alternative, Creole chicken, quail, turkey, Creole hen, duck and others.
These small producers, those who had fewer than 10 pigs in their backyard that were totally affected by African swine fever, considered production with other animals as an alternative to generate income, a decision that will be supported by the government. Dominican, according to the president of the JAD, Osmar Benítez.
The agribusiness representative, when interviewed by Listín Diario, revealed that despite the fact that the government is compensating small producers by paying those pigs at market value, President Abinader understood that this money could be gone in two or three months and then Producers were not going to have a way to generate a source of income, with which they take their children to school and support their family.
Benítez pointed out that this is the reason why the issue is being viewed as social, for which a survey was carried out at the beginning of the pilot plan managed by the JAD in Cotuí, Sánchez Ramírez, and the producers were asked small pigs that preferred productive alternative.
“We make a visit to his house and to the place where they kept the pigs in his house and if he prefers chickens, we say ‘there can be so many here’ and there we are building his little farm”, Benítez explained.
He emphasized that this proposal was presented to the president, who has already approved it and, to cite one case, around RD $ 73 million will be invested in the Sánchez Ramírez province.
This project will be developed in the entire country for which the process has already begun in Sánchez Ramírez, Dajabón, Montecristi and Santiago Rodríguez.
Benítez clarified that producers who have more than 10 pigs do not participate in the “Project for Sustainable Repopulation and Recovery of the Livelihoods of Small Pig Producers of the Dominican Republic.”
The representative of the JAD highlighted that in the country there are 20,230 pig producers, of which about 20,000 are small producers that have less than 20 pigs. These supply 30% of the national demand, while 70% of the national supply is supplied by some 369 organized farms.
“30% are small patio producers, that lady who has two pigs tied up with a rope in the backyard of her house and that creates a social situation. With the arrival of African swine fever, we are now in a program to eradicate the disease and the government headed by the Minister of Agriculture and an active participation of the Agricultural Bank, we have been executing the protocol mandated by the World Organization for Animal Health ” Benítez commented.
He added that in each province this survey is being carried out because the president wants to know the socioeconomic situation of these small producers, so with his results it is known if they live in wooden cement houses, if they have a floor, zinc roof, drinking water , electricity, their education and if they have other income.
objectives
According to the plan presented by the head of the JAD, the project seeks to contribute to the recovery of the livelihoods of the country’s small pig producers and the repopulation of pigs once the African swine fever eradication program has been completed.
In addition, it aims to explore productive alternatives for affected families who wish to change to another economic activity and promote the associativity of these small producers in their communities.
Benítez said that the pork industry in the Dominican Republic is one of the key sectors of the agrarian economy because it creates more than 50,800 jobs a year.
In 2020, the national production was 1,070,190 units, weighing close to 179 million pounds (just over 80.5 million kilos).
When pig production is measured at market prices, the estimated value for 2020 was about RD $ 14.4 billion, according to the information provided by the JAD.
Contributions to the economy
Investments in infrastructure, genetics and equipment related to the sector, according to JAD estimates, exceed RD $ 30,000 million.
Just for the transportation of inputs from seaports to food processing plants, 50,000 truck trips are used in a year. Each truck has a driver and an assistant, so that alone there are about 100,000 indirect jobs created, JAD statistics show.
Recovery
According to the plan presented by the head of the JAD, the project seeks to contribute to the recovery of the livelihoods of the country’s small pig producers and the repopulation of pigs once the African swine fever eradication program has been completed. Associativity
In addition, explore productive alternatives for affected families who wish to change to another economic activity and promote the associativity of these small producers.
.
