DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

Luis Ramon Rodriguez / Noticias SIN

Former Minister of Agriculture, Luis Ramón Rodríguez, has sharply criticized the government’s official figures regarding agricultural losses following Tropical Storm Melissa, labeling the reported volume of damages as “exaggerated.” He further cautioned that the declaration of a state of emergency can be used to allow the state-owned insurer, Agrodosa, to avoid paying claims to affected farmers, as reported in Diario Libre.

Rodríguez questioned the “accelerated response” by the government, arguing that natural disaster assessments typically require a technical protocol that takes seven to eight days to complete, not the rapid timeline officials followed.

The former minister alleged that a state of emergency declaration would exempt the Dominican Agricultural Insurance Company (Agrodosa) from its financial obligations.

“If a state...