Tensions are rising over the rice surplus. The opposition says the stockpiles are of imported rice. Agriculture Minister Limber Cruz during the 21 July 2025 press conference of President Luis Abinader had stated that this year the country had not imported rice, and that the rice inventories were of rice imported in 2024.
Moreover, Agriculture Minister Limber Cruz announced during the same press conference that the country is on track for another record-breaking rice harvest. His optimism has been met with sharp criticism from opposition figures who allege that the current rice surplus stems largely from last year’s imports — not domestic production.
Former senator Adriano Sánchez Roa, head of the Agricultural Secretariat of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), said on Thursday, 24 July, that the 2.7 million quintals of rice currently stored — which Minister Cruz attributes to local harvests — are actually leftover from 2024 imports.
According to Sánchez Roa, the country imported 4,714,827 quintals of rice in 2024, of which only 2,014,827 quintals were used. The remaining 2.7 million quintals, he claims, have since been stockpiled and are now combining with the spring 2025 harvest, leading to a severe backlog at rice mills and processing facilities.
Earlier this week, the PLD warned that the glut is preventing locally harvested rice from being processed, causing income losses for producers and threatening the sustainability of farm operations.
Sánchez Roa also criticized the government’s import policy, noting that rice imports in 2024 surged by 65% compared to the combined total over the previous five years. Between 2019 and 2023, the country imported 3.1 million quintals of rice valued at US$77.2 million. In contrast, the 2024 imports alone cost US$152.5 million.
The dispute comes at a time when farmers and industry stakeholders are demanding urgent action to manage the oversupply and prevent further economic fallout in the agricultural sector.
Minister Limber Cruz has been in the position since August 2020, at the start of the first term of President Luis Abinader.
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La Semanal – minutes 22:15
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28 July 2025