Government pays 80 million pesos to poultry producers through Inespre

Moca—The Dominican Government, through Inespre, paid 80 million pesos to the Dominican Poultry Association as compensation for the slaughter of 2 million hens, at 50 pesos per unit, to stabilize the price of eggs and chicken in the local market and avoid the collapse of the sector.

The announcement was made by the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, during a meeting in Moca in which participated the Minister of Agriculture, Limber Cruz; the director of Inespre, Iván Hernández Guzmán; the director of the Agricultural Bank, Fernando Durán; the new President of the Dominican Poultry Farming Association, José Luis Polanco (Jochy); the members of said entity,

Miguel Lajara and José Pichardo, President of the Dominican Laying Hens Association, the President of the Cibao Breeders Cooperative (CoopCibao), Eriberto Grullón, and hundreds of poultry producers in the area.

President Luis Abinader expressed his satisfaction at having honored this commitment. He congratulated the poultry producers for contributing to guaranteeing food security by increasing the production of chickens and eggs in the Dominican Republic.

The chief executive stressed that “The development and progress of the national poultry sector is a source of pride for all Dominicans and a recognition of the entrepreneurial spirit, as it is one of the most thriving sectors, it went from a production of 16 million chickens per month in 2019 to 24 million units as of December of this year, and from 240 million units of eggs in 2019 to more than 300 million units per month at present.”

Abinader reported that this large production has contributed to local supply, food security, and the dynamism of the national economy. He pointed out that 70 percent of the 5,000 million pesos financing granted to productive sectors by the Agricultural Bank has been allocated to this sector. He announced that this week, Inespre will pay the remaining 20 million pesos as compensation for the slaughter of the hens.

New Initiatives
President Luis Abinader reiterated his commitment to support the development and consolidation of the national poultry sector, for which he announced the investment of 200 million pesos for the construction of a refrigerated warehouse with a capacity for 8 million pounds of processed chickens, which will be located in the Merca Santo Domingo and will provide facilities for the conservation and pledging of chicken meat. The ADA will manage it.

He will also create a fund of 400 million pesos for a pledging program through the Agricultural Bank and the Dominican Poultry Association, 250 million pesos through cooperatives and associations to be used as a compensation zone, as loans or contributions. He also promised the renegotiation of debts with the Banco Agrícola, support in technification, credit portfolio, human resources, and greater local infrastructure, and the creation of a poultry commission with the participation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Inespre, the Banco Agrícola, and other institutions to maintain constant communication and maintain the stability of this vital sector.

He also spoke about the opening of new export markets for eggs, such as Cuba and Guyana, after the closing of the border and the increase in sales of both foods to the national tourism sector and to cruise ships that are supplied with food in the DR and the United States.

José Luis Polanco, the new President of the Dominican Association of Poultry Farmers, informed that the stability of the sector was achieved thanks to the teamwork with the Government and its institutions such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Inespre, the Agricultural Bank, and others, achieving a balance between the consumer, producer and a partner which is the Government, in a space of trust and commitment of all.

Polanco highlighted that in 2023, the national poultry sector will produce more than 650 thousand chickens per day, handle more than 68 billion pesos in commercialization, and have invested in three years 10 billion pesos in infrastructure to achieve the record production they have today.

The President of ADA indicated that the commitment will be to generate a curve as sustainable as possible, with planning, claiming that this is the best way to ensure that the supply is sufficient, avoid overproduction or deficit, and ensure that consumers can have access to adequate food at fair prices.

“We propose the creation of a mixed planning commission with the government to communicate and plan production, greater formality, creation of a pledging system,” he expressed.

Border closure
Other ADA member producers who supported the initiatives were Miguel Lajara, President of Sanut, and José Pichardo, President of Asonaprop.

Pichardo highlighted Inespre’s quick intervention in buying 40 million eggs after the border closure, which prevented the bankruptcy of a large part of the sector since, in 75 days, the industry lost hundreds of millions of pesos. He also congratulated the state initiative to cull the oldest hens with a compensation of 50 pesos per unit.

Eriberto Grullón, President of the Cooperativa de Criadores del Cibao (COOPCIBAO), which groups more than 2,500 members, said that when the sector is stable, they feel strong to continue working and congratulate the work of the Dominican Government, especially Inespre for the implementation of both initiatives.

At the end of the event, Iván Hernández Guzmán said that Inespre would continue to fulfill the role for which it was created and expressed his satisfaction at having collaborated with the Agricultural Cabinet to solve this problem.