Government presents plan to boost food production

Yesterday, President Luis Abinader presented the Siembra RD program that promotes local food production, which provides for 11 actions and an initial contribution of RD$500 million at an interest rate of 6% per year and through the Agricultural Bank to improve meat farming and maintain the fertilizer subsidy.

The announcement was made at a press conference at the National Palace together with the Ministers of Agriculture, Limber Cruz, and the Administrative Minister of the Presidency, José Ignacio Paliza; of Industry and Commerce, Víctor Bisonó; the administrator of Bagrícola, Fernando Durán; the director of Customs, Eduardo Sanz Lovatón; from the FEDA, Hecmilio Galván; from INDRHI, Olmedo Caba, among others.

“Siembra RD is a patriotic call to all actors, public and private, related to the countryside and food production to redouble efforts to plant every corner of the country, every space of land where a plant can grow or a chicken can be raised, We are going to put it into production so that food is never lacking at the Dominican family table, ”said President Abinader yesterday.

The Minister of Agriculture, Limber Cruz, said that the Siembra RD plan consists of 11 actions, including strengthening the services of the machinery centers in the regional agricultural directorates, with the contribution of 150 tractors, 20 corn and bean planters and ten harvesters of these items.

Other measures are the contribution of RD$1.275 million to continue subsidizing fertilizers, as part of the program that began in November 2021 with RD$1.740 million; the installation in eight regional directorates of agriculture of cultivation houses and distribution of vegetable seedlings; the donation of 500,000 chicks and the planting of 300 thousand additional tasks of plantains, cassava, sweet potatoes, pigeon peas, corn, potatoes, and vegetables; incorporate 120,000 plots of land from the La Cruz de Manzanillo project, CEAGANA, and other State lands.

Also, follow the “Beef and Milk Livestock Improvement Program, strengthening CEBIORA with artificial insemination and embryos; expand INESPRE’s popular sales programs and Producers’ markets; expand the construction and rehabilitation of local and inter-parcel roads by 30% and increase the drilling program for wells and the construction of lagoons and reservoirs by 40%.

The Palace grounds

At the press conference, President Abinader expressed, “how is it possible that the grounds of the National Palace are not even clear?” and he referred to that there is a commission that works with the demarcation of State land to provide it with the property title.