It was revealed yesterday that the crisis in the State Sugar Council (CEA) has gotten to the point where the DR will have to import 50,000 metric tons of sugar in 1999. CEA will not come close to meeting its production targets for a variety of reasons, among them continuing problems with the Barahona sugar mill. The DR has one of the largest quotas for sugar imports granted by the U.S., which it might see reduced if it does not use it. Current projections are that even if the DR devoted its entire production to exports to the U.S., it might not fulfill the entire quota. In any case, imports would have to be authorized in order to meet local consumption. The irony is not lost on Dominicans that the DR used to be one of the world’s major sugar producers and never had to import the product. The CEA’s assets are due to be privatized if the Commission on Reform of Private Enterprise (CREP) can finish sorting out CEA’s chaotic accounts.
