Merchants claim product prices have begun to drop

Weeks ago, several products of agricultural origin registered increases of between 20% and 40%.

Santo Domingo, DR

The wholesale and retail trade sector feels relief in the prices of several products of the family basket after implementing some measures adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture with the import permits and other actions that seek to prevent speculation.

The presidents of the associations of wholesalers of provisions in Santo Domingo and the markets, Wilson Tejeda and Julián Antonio Parra, highlighted that import permits to the different federations and merchants’ associations have contributed to reducing the prices of many products between 20 and 40%.

“The Minister of Agriculture’s decision to democratize the import permits of products to the different entities of traders has contributed to making a series of products cheaper and to supply the collection centers of those items of the basket familiar¨, said Wilson Tejada.

The same was expressed by the president of the Federation of Dominican Traders (FDC), Ivan Garcia, who indicated that garlic prices dropped from RD$250 to RD$100 per pound, onion from RD$90 to RD$40 and added that it is expected to drop to RD$30 this week.

Efforts
“Pinto beans dropped to RD$45.00 from RD$70.00, which was the pound, all this as a result of the granting of import permits to traditional companies, associations, and federations of traders,” said Garcia.

Parra and Tejeda agreed in pointing out that the commerce sector values the Ministry of Agriculture’s efforts to counteract the rising prices of the family basket products, registered since months ago.

A couple of weeks ago, several products of agricultural origin registered increases that oscillated between 20% and 40%, which has worried families, especially housewives.

Garlic
The Dominican Association of Agribusinesses (Asodagre) stated that in the particular case of garlic, the indiscriminate rise was caused by the last auction for importing the condiment in which up to RD$90 per pound was paid. Agriculture granted a 20% import of potatoes, of what is traditionally imported for the Christmas season.