Plantain producers in Valverde are complaining of plantation robberies. With plantains now costing more than RD$15 per unit in supermarkets, organized bandits are raiding the farms. According to farmers, the bandits are Dominicans and Haitians who arrive at the farms at night in pickups to cut down the produce before it is harvested. Banana Producers Association (Adobano) president Elnio Manuel Duran described the situation as alarming.
One farmer, Larry Reyes said that this was forcing them to use private security services, adding to the cost of the produce.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/sucesos/denuncian-una-ola-de-robo-de-platanos-LC1598397