Congressmen warn that the measure would affect national producers
Santo Domingo.– Dominican legislators advocated this Tuesday for exhausting the path of dialogue with Haitian authorities regarding the new restrictions imposed on the land entry of various products from the Dominican Republic, warning that the measure could represent a hard blow to binational trade and national producers.
The president of the Chamber of Deputies’ Border Affairs Commission, Rafael Pérez, considered it necessary for both countries to resume talks to seek a solution that allows for the preservation of the dynamism achieved by the border markets.
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Pérez maintained that the trade developed in border communities mobilizes billions of pesos and contributes significantly to the Dominican economy, which is why he described it as a “considerable setback” that certain products have to enter Haiti exclusively by air or sea.
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“What we understand is that agreements must be made, we must go to the dialogue table”, expressed the legislator, who pointed out that the Dominican Republic must know the reasons that motivated the Haitian authorities to adopt the provision.
Senator Dagoberto Rodríguez spoke in similar terms, requesting the intervention of the Ministries of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs and Foreign Affairs to promote new negotiations with Haiti, including meetings at border points such as Dajabón, Jimaní and Pedernales.
“They know and they have no production of any of those products, so good luck to the Dominican Republic, 11 million Haitians are living because the Dominican Republic is the one that supplies 90% of what Haitians consume”, he stated.
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In that order, he considered that the measure could be treated as “blackmail” by the Haitian authorities in an election context in order to carry out political propaganda against Dominican products among the Haitian people.
Meanwhile, deputy Frank Ramírez warned that the restrictions could generate significant losses for Dominican entrepreneurs, merchants, and producers, especially those who trade perishable goods and have Haiti as one of their main destinations.
“If it cannot be sold in Haiti, many businessmen, many merchants, many producers are going to go bankrupt,” stated Ramírez, who also proposed dialogue as the alternative to resolve the situation.
Trade policies
For his part, Senator Moisés Ayala acknowledged Haiti’s right to establish its trade policies, but considered that the measure would not only have economic repercussions for the Dominican Republic, but also consequences for the supply of food and other goods for the Haitian population.
“Haiti needs everything, Haiti produces absolutely nothing, the Dominican Republic is Haiti’s main support,” he pointed out.
Ayala agreed that the Dominican Foreign Ministry should lead diplomatic efforts to seek the restoration of trade flow.
The reactions come after Haitian authorities prevented the entry of various Dominican goods on Monday through the border bridge that connects Dajabón with Juana Méndez.
Among the affected products are wheat flour, edible oil, powdered detergent, foam containers, drinking water, butter, margarine, construction iron, pasta, powdered juice, carbonated drinks, beer, snacks, and plastic household utensils.
The provision establishes that those products must be exported to Haitian territory by air or through seaports.
Given the situation, President Luis Abinader reported that the Dominican government will state its official position this Tuesday and explained that the implications of the measure are being evaluated by the corresponding authorities.
