President affirms that agriculture is a priority

He said, “In this new government period, we will continue to strengthen credit and channel the resources required to guarantee the profitability and sustainability of our agriculture.”

He said the agricultural policy that “we have implemented in this period has been fundamental to guarantee the country’s food security and maintain the profitability of our agricultural producers.”

He indicated that “according to the Department of Agriculture of the United States, for the first time, in the current year 2024, we will exceed the figure of one billion 800 million dollars in exports of agricultural goods to that country, including beef whose market has been reopened after being closed for more than 20 years.”

However, he expressed that he is aware “that the impact of extreme atmospheric phenomena on our agriculture as a result of Climate Change forces us to dedicate more and more resources to the development of infrastructures and technologies that contribute to strengthening the resilience that our agricultural sector has demonstrated and increasing the efficiency and productivity of the resources we dedicate to it.”

He pointed out that financing has been a vital part of the agricultural policy that has been applied, mainly through the Agricultural Bank, with a zero rate and 8%.

He specified that “the credit program with rates and conditions adapted to agriculture has made it possible to position agriculture as one of the economic activities of great attraction for investment and development of the country.”

President Abinader, sworn in for the first time at a ceremony held at the National Theater, said that support for the agricultural sector is essential to maintaining food security.