When President Luis Abinader chose Sonia Guzman as Dominican ambassador to the United States, for sure he had in mind her experience as the country’s top negotiator for the DR Cafta trade agreement. Guzman was the country’s lead negotiator for the treaty for the Dominican government during the President Hipolito Mejia administration. The extension of protection to rice producers included in the DR Cafta treaty was sure on his mind.
The treaty protects rice producers through 2025. With the deadline encroaching for eliminating all tariffs on rice imports, producers are concerned they will lose local market share to US imports. The Abinader administration understands that the United States subsidizes rice production in the United States, whereby that country has an unfair trading advantage.
President Abinader stated in the 27 February 2023 state of the nation address: “Let it be clear that we are going to protect national production, especially in these times when every country has to guarantee food security.”
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Presidency
N Digital
Diario Libre
15 March 2023