Espaillat.- President Luis Abinader stated this Monday that the Dominican Republic’s exit from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Hunger Map is a collective achievement of the Dominican people, with special recognition for the men and women who work daily in the fields ensuring food production.
During an event held at the Moca Recreational Club, the president maintained that this international recognition reflects the progress achieved by the country in terms of food security, after reducing the proportion of people suffering from undernourishment to less than 2.5% of the population.
“The Dominican Republic left the Hunger Map because its producers never stopped feeding and working for this country,” stated Abinader, while thanking the agricultural sector for its efforts and highlighting that the result is the fruit of the alliance between producers and the public policies implemented by the Government.
The head of state explained that the progress was based on a strategy focused on increasing national food production and improving the population’s access to those products. In that context, he cited initiatives such as agricultural financing, land preparation, seed distribution, rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads, strengthening of irrigation systems, technical assistance, agricultural insurance, and marketing mechanisms.
Likewise, he pointed out that the economic measures promoted by his administration, including salary increases above inflation, growth in formal employment, and the strengthening of social programs, allowed for expanding families’ access to food and contributed to the reduction of extreme poverty.
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Abinader assured that the Government will maintain its support for small, medium, and large producers with the goal of developing a more modern, productive, sustainable, and resilient agriculture that strengthens national food security.
At the close of the activity, he reiterated his gratitude to the agricultural sector and stated that the recognition granted by the FAO belongs to all Dominicans.
“Thank you for your effort, for your sacrifice, and for feeding the Dominican Republic. Together we have reached a very important goal for our country and we will continue working united to achieve new accomplishments,” he expressed.
Producers call for more investment to strengthen the sector
On behalf of the agricultural sector, Dionis Fernández valued the support provided by the Government through public policies and investments aimed at strengthening the countryside and stated that the country’s exclusion from the Hunger Map evidences a structural change in food security.
Fernández highlighted that this progress also recognizes the work of agricultural and livestock producers, transporters, industrialists, and other actors in the food chain, while urging that this achievement be turned into a starting point to promote greater investment, financing, technology, infrastructure, agricultural insurance, and the opening of new markets that guarantee the sector’s competitiveness.
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The activity was attended by the Administrative Minister of the Presidency, Andrés Bautista, and the Minister of Agriculture, Francisco Oliverio Espaillat; the governor of Espaillat, Patricia Muñoz; the president of the Agricultural Bank, Fernando Durán; the director of Intabaco, Iván Hernández; the agricultural advisor to the Executive Branch, Eric Rivero; the former Minister of Agriculture, Limber Cruz, as well as other authorities and representatives of the agricultural sector.
