Food For Half The Price

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Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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From today's Sosua News:

[h=5]Currently twenty trucks drive around the country to deliver food packages at 700 different places for 50% of the retail price. This action is performed under the supervision of the Minister of Agriculture engineer Salvador (Chio) Jim?nez and was commissioned by President Leonel Fern?ndez. The packages have a retail value of 475 pesos but will be sold for 200 pesos. The packages include onion, garlic, spaghetti, beans, oats, oil, rice, brown sugar and chicken.[/h][h=5]With these efforts, the president, according to the spokesman of the government, wants to fight the price speculation and inflation of prices for basic food. That this food distribution happens just before the elections take place is purely coincidental said the spokesman. In the coming week the caravan with cheap food will also stop in Sos?a. The grocers in Sos?a are not so positive about this action of their president because they fear loss of sales.[/h]
 

PJT

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Jan 8, 2002
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Coincidence ? Think not. The shame is, it is not done between elections to reach all the needy.

Regards,

PJT
 

Jumbo

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Jul 8, 2005
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Not sure about the grocers but the local colmados will take a short term hit. Just as long as they are not passing out half priced beer i think all will survive.
 

zoomzx11

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Jan 21, 2006
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This behavior is a clear comment on the quality of government that exists in the DR. Rather than fix the problem the government uses its own failure to dupe the poor uneducated population who think they are getting a deal. Even at %50 percent they are making money. These dishonest s.o.bs are slick.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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on saturday i saw 20-25 trucks labeled "comedor economico" passing POP, on the way to sosua, i believe. local colmados will be unaffected, i am sure, as leonel did not include ron y cerveza in his food package.
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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I have seen these "Handouts" here in Santo Domingo many times over the years.
But you don't need to get in the "Food Riot" lines waiting for their,"turn".
That's because,those who fight the hardest,and get the "food" just walk a little further down the street,and sell their bounty to people waiting there.THEN,those people support the "Colmados" by buying rum and "Cervesa"!
Everybody "WINS",the "Fighters",the "Re-Sellers",and the "Colmados"!
The "Government" knows how it "works",and they like it too.
Three happy "Voters",for the price of one.
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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Remember when Aristy dropped pesos out of his helicopter?
 

belmont

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Oct 9, 2009
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Remember when Leonel included a bottle of rum and a gift certificate for a manicure in the Christmas "food" baskets.
 
Reminds me of the old land, they use to say vote for me and you will have a pair of babouches. Why are we critizing these tactiques when we come from countries that do the same, be it taxes exemptions, services and so on? Have we reinvented the wheel when it comes to economy and politics? Last time I've checked, every country is axing (thanks to the IMF :cry: ) There is no more colonialism, there are debts and projects. To whose benefit?:mad:
 

donP

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Dec 14, 2008
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Contrary to Culture

I have seen orderly queues in the DR many times.

Only in banks, supermarkets or where armed guards are present.

[video=youtube;0KiICPYoSV8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KiICPYoSV8[/video]


donP
 
Jan 9, 2004
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Food producers exploit the population - government shops exist in many countries, co-operatives in others.
Price controls and/or government shops selling at fair prices are a must,

pi2.

Does not the Dominican Government set prices (price controls) on basic foods like eggs, rice, onions? They certainly do it on fuels.

How's that working out for the country?

Governments are almost always the most inefficient providers.....just ask those who lived in the former Soviet Union, or those who currently live in Cuba, or Venezuela, or North Korea or....


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
 
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Jan 9, 2004
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That was in the old days... Not any more.

donP:

I think you may be correct...now they just subsidize the agricultural sector. Under DR-CAFTA they had to give up price controls (but not subsidies) on all products, except fuels.

But, President Fernandez in a recent speech to the UN advocated adopting worldwide price controls on food and fuel. That speech was received like a lead balloon by a majority of the members.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
 

cbmitch9

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Nov 3, 2010
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No joke - US farmers can pay low wages because they know their workers will be eligible for SNAP. The farmers can export then at low prices. Whole communities in some states recieve SNAP.

Eligibility

There are several other benefit programs - bu this is one for the working man who only earns $1,000 or so a month down on the farm.

So DR farmers and farmers in many other countries have to compete with US rice etc. exported with a whole raft of subsidies.

pi2

I don't know if you have ever resided in the US but you are sooooo wrong with your assumptions. Since this is a forum for issues specific to the Dominican Republic, I will not go into further details. But trust me, you are wrong. Cutting and pasting and providing links is only part of the story. It does not give a full picture.

Respectfully,

Cmitch
 
Jun 18, 2007
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www.rentalmetrocountry.com
I have visited the US on many occasions. I have known people living in shacks in the US. It is a system, the farmers get rich, they can export surplus at low prices, they can employ cheap labor as government programs cover the rest of their true wages.

I try to quote only government or respected newspaper websites.

What is the true picture?

Respectfully,

pi2

You are SOOOOOOOOOOO full of it!!!!
I'm not an American and even I know about the struggle the farmers in the USA have. A lot of them lost everything that had been in the family for generations.
Have they dropped you at birth or something because that head of yours is really messed up!!
 
Jan 9, 2004
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No it was not.

pi2



If you are referring to my last sentence about President Fernandez and his speech to the UN.....then be so kind as to tell me about the UN resolution that was proposed....and what the final vote was.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
 

HumbleHindu

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Jan 14, 2010
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Bashing US policies is off topic here. But I would say from my experience that he is true and knows the subject he is talking about. But that is not warranted here.
 
Jan 9, 2004
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Up to 39% of residents in arkansas counties , a leading rice growing area of the US are subsidised by food stamps because the farmers grow rich exporting rice at less than true cost.

The cited article makes no such claim. In fact, the article is about the Arkansas Rice Depot and the amount of food it donates to the states impoverished residents....not that 39% of Arkansas residents are impoverished because because farmers grow rich exporting rice at less than cost.


US subsidies to rice farmers and their employees allow export of ,Miami, rice at far below true cost. This impoverishes farmers and their workers in the DR and other countries as they must compete and many inputs cost the same, fertilizer etc.
.

How far below true cost. You make statements as fact and never back them up. However, subsidies do allow farmers to keep growing crops.....because if there were no subsidies on many products, US farms would go under financially...then you would see some really interesting things going on with the price of food.

Farming of any kind, no matter where conducted, is labor intensive....thus wages are a key component with regard to cost of production. So if that is the case, then the DR should have a huge labor advantage.....and...they also do not have the storage/transportation costs US exporters have.

Finally, the people of the DR could help their own farmers by buying only locally grown rice...driving down demand...and ultimately driving out of business those who import the rice. The point is, the people have options.

One last item. Is it my thinking, or do a majority of your posts seem to always manage to work in an anti-US bias?


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
 
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