Farmers’ protest snarls traffic on busiest highway

LA VEGA, Dominican Republic.- Farmers and agribusiness leaders mobilized nationwide Thursday, to promote unity among their sectors, spur a "National Agribusiness Producers’ Day" and to create the National Farm Producers Confederation.

Around 800 parked trucks snarled traffic along the San Francisco highway from the Duarte Highway exit at Controba, and erected a stage to announced the creation the Confederation

Farm sector leader Oliverio Espaillat demanded measures that protect producers, and affirmed that similar protests were held simultaneously in the towns of San Juan and Esperanza, to start a sustained and unified struggle. “Our objective is to initiate a process of unity between all sectors, to be able to deal with the government which has left us by the wayside, preferring to import products which are found here."