The Balaguer administration’s officers are divided over the ruling that was drawn up to regulate sugar imports. The proposed rules are supported by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and its minister, Carlos Morales Troncoso, a former director of the State Sugar Council (CEA) and former top executive of Central Romana, the nation’s largest private sugar producer.
The Minister for Industry and Commerce, Dr José Ramón González, officers of the Central Bank in charge of seeing that the country complies with agreements signed with the GATT and the World Trade Organization, Customs officials , and even the present administration of the Sugar Sugar Council (CEA) do not agree with the ruling drafted by the Instituto Azucarero Dominicano (Inazucar) that is said to be principally controlled by the sugar producers.
The Minister for Industry and Commerce has gone on record stating that the rules violate agreements the country has signed with the GATT and the World Trade Organization. Originally, it provided control over imports for the private producers. It was then modified to give control over imports to Inazucar. This is said to be detrimental to consumers and local industries that use sugar as a raw material in their production lines, as the ruling now makes it more difficult to import sugar. The ruling was passed in the absence of the Minister for Industry and Commerce, who complained of a last minute meeting that he could not attend.
The local association of soft drink producers, Asociación de Embotelladores de Bebidas Gaseosas, complained that the ruling will result in bottlenecks in production, affecting commerce and the consumer.
The president of a major local association of wholesalers, Asociación de Comerciantes Mayoristas de Santo Domingo, Gilberto Luna, said that the ruling is against the commitments assumed by the country to the World Trade Organization. He said it is not the time for authorities who are about to leave their posts to sign rulings and stated he is against the placing of the authorization of sugar imports in the hands of Inazucar.