DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

Tensions are rising over the rice surplus. The opposition says the stockpiles are of imported rice. Agriculture Minister Limber Cruz during the 21 July 2025 press conference of President Luis Abinader had stated that this year the country had not imported rice, and that the rice inventories were of rice imported in 2024.

Moreover, Agriculture Minister Limber Cruz announced during the same press conference that the country is on track for another record-breaking rice harvest. His optimism has been met with sharp criticism from opposition figures who allege that the current rice surplus stems largely from last year’s imports — not domestic production.

Former senator Adriano Sánchez Roa, head of the Agricultural Secretariat of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), said on Thursday, 24 July, that the 2.7 million quintals of rice currently stored — which Minister Cruz attributes to local harvests...