Santo Domingo – The Minister of Economy, Planning and Development (Mepyd), Pavel Isa Contreras, said the Dominican Republic needs to accelerate the transformation of the agricultural sector to increase productivity and thus guarantee food security.
Speaking at the National Meeting of Business Leaders of the Agricultural Sector organized by the Dominican Agribusiness Board (JAD), he said that we are obliged to move towards higher levels of food security and build resilience in the sector.
He pointed out that accelerating the transformation implies changes in production, which in turn involve increasing productivity and yields.
He insisted that a deliberate effort must be made to transform agriculture.
“When we talk about transforming agriculture I am not just looking at machinery and equipment only, I am also looking at people who know how to produce much better. How to manage inputs, water and land,” he explained.
Pavel said that the transformation of the agricultural sector must be accompanied by soil management and protection.
“This in two senses: first, taking advantage of the vocation of the soils, because not all soils are suitable for all crops, and second, the protection of soils against erosion and soil contamination,” he said.
Isa Contreras said that soil management is crucial to the transformation.
He added that another issue is water saving, which can be achieved in the agricultural sector through irrigation technification.
The official recalled that “we have water stress in several areas of the country, so if irrigation can be technified, with the appropriate technology for each crop, water stress could be significantly reduced.”
“It is not only about protecting the basins, more dams and reservoirs, but also about saving water,” he said.
In analyzing the sector’s situation, he said that the concern now is food security and resilience, as we moved from a concern for markets to one of how we guarantee to survive the blows of a convulsive world.
“It is no longer an issue of efficiency alone but of security and we are willing to sacrifice efficiency if we have security,” he said.
He said that food production is a national security issue, so more intense efforts must be made to guarantee food capacity.
He also mentioned the issue of access to credit, which is essential for the sector’s transformation.
He said that access to credit for production must be guaranteed, especially credit for a good period.
On the issue of vulnerability, he said that innovations that can reduce external vulnerability must be sought.
“It is an issue that we have to address because we are very vulnerable, so our ability to resist is limited, especially when we are hit by international markets,” said Isa Contreras during the activity.