Thousands of bags of imported rice are being stored at Almacenes Dominicanos de Depósitos (Almadom), a customs approved warehouse, after arriving in the country on 30 March via the port of Haina. The shipment has met with opposition from the Federación Dominicana de Comerciantes, whose executive director, Danilo Clime, said that the marketing by rice middlemen with large financial and storage capacities brings them exaggerated benefits.
The shipment was also criticized by the small and medium rice harvesters who complain that they do not benefit from the high pricing of rice in times of scarcity.
The problem has been that contrived artificial shortages of rice push the price upwards and produce excessively high profits. It is reported that the rice was imported under a Ministry of Agriculture authorization in order to stabilize the price.
The Association of Rice Producers, according to its president, Rafael de la Mota Cordero, has asked the government to set a sales price of between RD$550 and RD$580 for 120 kilos in order to combat speculation and satisfy consumer demands.