Dominican farmers suffer the consequences of the lack of national farm produce planning. Cyclical surpluses are followed by deficits, reflecting the lack of policies that counsel farmers on what and how much to plant. The case of the present surplus of plantains, planted by the thousands after Hurricane Georges devastated most plantations, is just another in a long string of ups and downs of agriculture. The lack of planning also has affected tobacco, garlic, onion and even poultry production. Meanwhile, plantains can be bought for RD$0.25 the unit, down from RD$8.00 shortly after the hurricane. Farmers need to find export markets for their produce. They say a unit of plantain costs RD$0.70 to produce.
