According to new Agriculture Minister, Osmar Benitez, the agriculture sector has maintained its stability during the first half of 2018. He said the Banco Agrícola has lent 11.5% more this year than last, with RD$2.75 billion in loans in May alone, and RD$8.62 billion for the first five months of the year.
He went on to say that the Dominican Agrarian Institute (IAD) had handed over 1,346 title deeds, that 101 cooperatives had been set up and 137 associations to the benefit of 10,744 partners, including 27 women only associations.
In his wrap up of his first month on the job, he said that the Price Stabilization Institute (Inespre) had set up 18 permanent agricultural markets and 64 popular sale markets as well as 50 mobile stands during May alone.
In the Santo Domingo market (MERCADOM) sales in 2018 to date has increased between 25% and 30% and in May this year operations registered around RD$3 billion.
Also the Special Agricultural Development Fund (FEDA) had invested more than RD$4.92 billion through the Sunday Surprise Visits (Visitas Sorpresas program) to producers by the President. Benítez said that fish production had reached around 25,000 pounds in 2018 so far.
Benitez went on to say that in the first six months of this year some 106,000 pounds of rabbit meat had been produced and in May there were around 17,000 pounds of rabbit produced that was more than the total for 2016.
He said that all of the above accomplishments have led to stability in the national production, which allowed the country to satisfy 86% of the national demand for food as well as to comply with the export needs to international markets.
Read more in Spanish:
Ministry of Agriculture
Ministro de Agricultura anuncia fondo de 400 millones de pesos a sector cacao
20 June 2018
