Santo Domingo, D. N. – The president of the
Fuerza del Pueblo (FP), Leonel Fernández, accused the government of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) of bankrupting national producers through policies that, according to him, favor imports from sectors linked to the ruling party to the detriment of local production, which has affected the rise in the cost of food and the weakening of the country’s productive apparatus.
The statements were offered after the swearing-in of José del Castillo Saviñón and his political team as new members of the Fuerza del Pueblo. Before beginning his speech, Fernández asked those present to observe a minute of silence in honor of the deceased former president of the Senate of the Republic and officialist leader, Ramón Alburquerque.
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When referring to the economic situation, the opposition leader pointed out the increase in the prices of basic products such as chicken and eggs, considering that this is a problem that should not be repeated in the Dominican Republic and that demonstrates the Government’s inability to guarantee food security.
“Today, when I look at the newspapers, I find on the front page a complaint that we shouldn’t have: again, a shortage of chicken and eggs in the Dominican Republic. The price of a pound of chicken has risen again to 125 pesos. When we talk about something as basic as the food of the Dominican people and these products become inaccessible, social unrest begins. The Government has not known how to solve this issue, nor others related to food,” Fernández expressed.
He recalled that, in similar situations, the Government chose to authorize the import of chicken without the payment of tariffs, a measure which, in his opinion, ended up harming national producers.
“The import of chicken from Brazil was authorized without paying customs duties. At first glance, it may seem reasonable, but in doing so, national producers are affected, who lose incentives to increase production. Therefore, that idea failed,” he maintained.
In contrast, Fernández explained what the correct policy would have been from the perspective of Fuerza del Pueblo, focused on strengthening national production. “Instead of importing chicken without tariffs, we would have authorized the import of corn, soy, and vitamins for poultry production. That would have allowed us to increase national production, lower prices, and support Dominican producers,” he indicated.
The political leader asserted that this problem is not limited to the poultry sector, but rather responds to an economic policy that has relegated the country’s productive sectors. He pointed out that, when the PRM assumed the Government in 2020, agricultural imports were around 3 billion dollars, while they currently exceed 7 billion, which, according to him, has benefited importers linked to the circles of power.
In the final part of his speech, Fernández addressed the electoral issue and called for respecting the integrity of democratic processes, denouncing the misuse of state resources for proselitizing purposes.
“They already did it by buying mayors and co-opting councilors to win the February elections and project that they would win in May. Then we saw reports about the use of Aerodom funds and now it is said that SeNaSa resources were used for the campaign,” he stated.
He also expressed concern about the possibility of the ruling party attempting to repeat these practices in the run-up to the 2028 elections. “We are concerned that the Solid Waste Law will be used to channel resources to mayors and ensure electoral victories. This time it will not be like that, because we are not going to allow it. As Juan Bosch said: either we all play or the deck is broken,” he concluded.
