2005 – Page 278

In spite of the tradition that rain during the first days of January means a good year for farmers, so far, the rains haven’t stopped, and now thousands are being flooded out of their homes and farms. The El Caribe reports official numbers of 6,000 displaced persons, dozens of communities isolated by flood waters and …

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Each year new crop diseases are affecting crop produce in the DR. The rice crops are affected by mites that bore into the stems and cause the rice husks to be dried out and empty of any grains. Citrus crops, especially the lime crop are also affected. Particularly hard hit are bananas and plantains. The …

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The Dominican Republic exports to Europe, the US and Asia over 100,000 tons in bananas, cacao and mango organic produce, for US$70 million, organic agriculture expert Ulrich Findel told Hoy newspaper. The country is also a major producer of organic coffee, coconut, lime, avocado, ginger, and other products. Findel highlighted that organic produce adds value …

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The Dominican Winter League continued to face a different set of problems last night, but the one bright spot was the excellent showing by the Tigres del Licey in San Francisco de Macoris. Licey beat the hometown Gigantes by a score of 4-0, in large part thanks to the excellent pitching of Manny Aybar who …

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The 2005 Budget Law was passed by the Senate late last week and the totals are the highest in history: RD$206.59 billion. The senators magnanimously passed the legislation in two consecutive sessions “as a contribution or quota of responsibility by the PRD legislators towards the democratic governance (of the Dominican Republic).” According to Hoy newspaper, …

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The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic has released a report that says that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the nation grew by 1.95% in 2004, well above most predictions at this time last year. Inflation for 2004 officially ended at 28.7%. These indicators exceed the goals set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). …

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The Monetary Board instituted important changes in the regulations that affect remittances from overseas. According to El Caribe newspaper, the most important change is one that allows the person sending money to specify how the money is to be sent and in what currency it is to be delivered to the recipient. The measure also …

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Geoffrey Gottlieb, who analyzes the Dominican Republic market for Goldman Sachs, forecasts an imminent restructuring of Dominican bonds. “Investors holding Dominican bonds will be in a very different place in 30 days,” he writes in a start of year release. “Between now and then, the authorities hope to secure approval of a new US$1 billion …

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The first act has the municipal government of the National District suing power distribution company EdeSur for RD$622 million due in compliance with the Electricity Law. According to the law, the electricity distributor is supposed to pay the municipal government 3% of its gross income. Now Mayor Roberto Salcedo of the National District has started …

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Education Minister Alejandrina German has expressed her concern given the scant hours of instruction public school children are receiving. She said that a Gallup poll has been contracted, sponsored by the ministry, APEC and the Association of Public School Teachers, to determine the reasons for the short school days and help resolve the situation. She …

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