Representatives of the Dominican government in the current negotiations of a free trade agreement with the United States are finding it increasingly tough to resist US efforts to remove restrictions on the importation of key products. Rice, beans and chicken are produced and consumed domestically, and provide the daily staple dish for most Dominicans, better known as “la bandera” or the Dominican flag. The US trade negotiators want the Dominican authorities to open up the market to US imports of the same products, which could threaten the livelihoods of local producers if the price is lower, as is often the case. Osmar Benitez from the Dominican negotiating team is quoted in El Caribe as saying it is going to be a tough fight, and he promised local producers that their rights would be upheld: “We will defend national products without limiting the Americans’ access.” The next round of talks begins on 9 February in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Fabio Herrera-Minino, writing in Hoy, makes a controversial plea to reduce the cultivation of rice in the Dominican Republic, saying it is an unprofitable crop that implies many “hidden costs.” He says that the rice growers’ interests are typically put before those of the consumer and the environment. Removing protection and subsidies from locally grown rice would open consumer access to more affordable, imported rice, according to Herrera Minino, who called for the diversification of agriculture towards more profitable crops that could generate more riches for the country.