Biggest retailer’s livestock project would displace US beef imports

Higüey, Dominican Republic.- The chief executive of thecountry’s biggest retail and supermarket chain on Wednesday said the group willenter the agro sector with a higher quality herd than the current one, aimed atreplacing the beef imports from the United States.

Centro Cuesta Nacional (CCN) CEO José Miguel GonzálezCuadra said the group already has its own meat packing plant in La Romana(east) and will have a genetic farm in La Vega (central), where the project workswith a group of producers, it will be to support farmers and the livestock sectorwith herds of Brangus steer.

He said the project will be announced in October "tosupport ranchers and livestock farms in the country to improve quality, competeand replace imports of quality meat coming from the United States."

The group, which owns 10 Jumbo department stores across thecountry, also operates El Nacional supermarkets, Cuesta hardware, Bebemundo, bookstoreCuesta, among others. He said his family is optimistic with its incursion in thearea of ??agriculture.

González, interviewed by Listin Diario in Higuey,eastern La Altagracia province, added that he hopes the important project will improvethe quality of the country’s beef.