Santo Domingo.- Starting January 1, Dominican rice producers, particularly small and medium-sized farmers, will face severe challenges as the DR-CAFTA trade agreement allows U.S. rice to enter the country tariff-free. Guillermo Moreno, president of the Alianza País party, warned this will be a devastating blow to local producers.
Moreno highlighted that U.S. rice benefits from substantial subsidies, exceeding 80 Dominican pesos per pound—more than the sale price of locally produced rice—giving American producers a significant competitive edge. He warned that the tariff removal could lead to widespread bankruptcies among Dominican rice farmers, triggering unemployment, migration, rural depopulation, and increased poverty in agricultural areas.
Despite 20 years of warnings, Moreno criticized successive governments for failing to negotiate rice’s exclusion from DR-CAFTA. As the tariff elimination looms, he called on the government to urgently address this crisis and implement measures to protect the livelihoods of Dominican rice producers.