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Nearly every day a long-term resident, appreciated by his friends and neighbors, will be said to have become \u201caplatanado\u201d\u2014\u201cplantained\u201d or better yet, accustomed to things in the Dominican Republic such as their love of the plantain. An article in the Diario Libre notes that the Dominican Republic consumes, on average, more than 6 million plantains each day.<\/p>\n
According to the general manager of the Dominican Farm Insurer (AGRODOSA), Luis Yanguela, the Dominican Republic is self-sufficient in plantains, producing sufficient quantities to meet the local demand. Many plantains are also consumed by visitors who frequent hotels and restaurants throughout the country.<\/p>\n
Yanguela also pointed out that many metric tons of Dominican plantains are consumed in neighboring Haiti. He told the reporters from the newspaper that the country possesses sufficient land, technology and diversification to produce even more and export this cousin to the banana. He noted, \u201cThis is the year for exportation. There is public policy aimed at exporting and they have succeeded. In our country when you see a company such as Frito-Lay using our plantains for both local consumption as well as export it adds value to the entire sector.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yanguela issued this statement at the launch of the Plantains Cluster which was formed to develop the sector and create the programs necessary to bring this product into the export market. Have you become \u201caplatanado?\u201d<\/p>\n