During the 19 September 2018 session, the Senate approved a US$150 million loan to finance the Government Sustainable Agroforestry Development Program. The program, a collaboration of the Technical Executing Unit of the Agroforestry Development Projects (UTEPSA) and the Ministry of Public Works, will be implemented in seven provinces: Elías Piña, San Juan, Azua, Independence, Bahoruco and Barahona. The goals of the program are to reduce poverty, improve environmental conditions of the intervened zones, restore public lands and reform the technical capacity of farmers to adopt sustainable agroforestry technologies. During the session in which the loan was approved, senator Rafael Calderón said the funds will help reforest more than 20,000 hectares, with lemons, avocado, coffee, cocoa, among other cash crops.
A second loan, for US$20 million was approved to fund the Ciudad Mujer project, to be implemented by the Presidency’s Social Policy Coordination Office under Vice President Margarita Cedeño. It aims to build and operate training centers to improve the living conditions of girls 10 years old or older who live in Greater Santo Domingo and Santiago. In addition to providing new skills to women, the center will also target young girls and women in programs of sexual health, reproduction matters, sex victimization, teenage pregnancy, family planning and personal finances. US$15.5 million will go to build and equip the new centers.
25 September 2018
