Fuerza del Pueblo says that the rice sector is going through an unprecedented crisis

Santo Domingo.- The party Fuerza del Pueblo (FP) denounced this Tuesday that the national rice sector is going through an unprecedented crisis that threatens food security and social stability in the country, for which it requested that it be declared in a state of emergency. The organization held the Government responsible for the situation, “a product of imports and lack of planning, which have generated an overstock, so it reiterated its call to declare this strategic sector in “emergency””.

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For the opposition party, “the disarray in import policies has caused the country’s docks to be overcrowded with foreign rice, leaving thousands of local producers in ruins.” “The government not only ignored our warnings from last July, but continues to worsen the situation by authorizing massive imports that destroy national production,” said Héctor Acosta, secretary of Agricultural Affairs of the Fuerza del Pueblo. The leader recalled that in December 2024, President Luis Abinader announced decree 693-24, which promised to limit imports to 23,300 metric tons under the Free Trade Agreement signed with the United States and Central America, known as DR-Cafta. However, “what seemed like a relief turned into a mortal blow for a subsector that contributes more than 50 billion pesos to GDP, generates 200,000 direct jobs and benefits about 300,000 people indirectly,” Acosta said. Acosta proposed measures to the Government to address the situation, including declaring the sector in a state of emergency, prohibiting the pledging of imported rice, as well as new imports until 2027, repatriating the rice that remains at the docks, immediately paying the overdue pledging, enabling closed factories, and guaranteeing the rational planning of the spring planting of next year.