President Danilo Medina visited honey and yautia producers in La Gina, Santo Domingo Norte yesterday, Sunday 20 July 2014 as part of his customary surprise weekend visits in support of small-scale farmers. The producers were offered soft loans through the governmental Special Fund for Agricultural Development (FEDA) business support program with a 5% annual interest rate.
President Medina met with members of the honey producer Asociacion de Desarrollo Agricola y Servicios Multiples who told the President they want to modernize their production facilities.
He also met with members of the Cooperativa La Estrella who grow yautia (malanga).
Rosa Gutierrez of the Cooperativa La Estrella asked for government support to continue farming the yam-like tuber. She told the President that their yautia farms had been abandoned after a fungus affected the crop.