Interviewed as to why the President didn’t allow the mechanism of imports to confront local produce scarcities, such as refined sugar, President Mejia told reporters that food product imports was a matter of the past. He said his government would not authorize the import of refined sugar since there is no true scarcity of the product. In the Dominican Republic, the Central Romana has a monopoly on refined sugar. Mejia said he expects prices of basic items to level off once speculation ends. He blamed merchants for the increase in prices. He said that the "relajo" or the party was over. In regards to price increases, he recommended the population wait, that in the coming days prices would level again. "I assure you that the prices of food products and other items will readjust as soon as the little scare is over, as happens always in this country," he said. He called Ivan García, president of the Asociación de Comerciantes Detallista, an association of merchants, "blackmailer" for his comments on the price increases. Hoy newspaper reports the production stoppage at several industries that consume sugar. The industries have repeatedly requested from the government the right to directly import refined sugar for their production needs. "The sugar-using industry has just gone through an extraordinary crisis and several well known companies have had to close down entire production lines for lack of sugar," said Atahualpa Dominguez, executive director of the Asociacion Dominicana de Industrias de Dulces y Afines.
