Constanza, a tourism and farming enclave located in a valley amidst the tallest mountains in the Caribbean, is fifty years behind the times, according to Manuel Gonzalez, a leading farmer in the region. Gonzalez, speaking to Hoy’s economic editor Mario Mendez and others at the Economic Meeting sponsored by the newspaper, said that back in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Constanza was serviced by three roads leading in and out of the valley and had daily cargo flights to Puerto Rico, exporting its fruits and vegetables. Today, access to the region is nearly blocked because of the terrible state of the Casabito-Constanza highway, currently the only paved access to the valley.
Gonzalez, one of many Spanish immigrants who settled in the area, spoke fondly of the flights that used to take produce to Puerto Rico. He was emphatic in saying that while new greenhouses are being built, the problem has never been one of production as much as one of marketing. Gonzalez said, “The problem is having a secure market, because production is greater that you can imagine because we have all of the latest technologies and we are really experts in this type of agriculture.”
One of the guests at the meeting was Andres Vanderhorst, the head of the Airport Authority. Vanderhorst said that remodeling Constanza airport would allow farmers from the valley to ship their produce to places like Martinique, Jamaica, Haiti, and Puerto Rico. By providing an alternative to ground transport from Constanza to airports in Santiago or Santo Domingo, the producers can become more competitive in regional markets. Gonzalez was a firm supporter of the plan and called upon the Dominican government to go ahead with the project since, in his words, “Constanza is the only place in the world where you can sow every day and harvest every day.” The well-known farmer from the valley was effusive in his praise for the plan to remodel and extend the runway in Constanza. In his final remarks, Gonzalez said that local farmers in Constanza are building a 5,000 sq. mt. collection center for the produce that comes from the farms. This is being built across the highway from the airport.