Medina pledges funding for poor region’s farmers, shepherds

Pedernales, Dominican Republic.- President Danilo Medina on Sunday announced government funding for sheepherders in the Pedernales village of Mencia, as well as for mango and cacao growers in Neiba, both in the southwest.

He also pledged government aid in Baitoa Seca and Neiba to plant around 150 hectares of mangoes for export, despite the farmers’ initial request for around 300 hectares.

When Baitoa Seca’s small scale farmers told Medina they lack water to drink and for crops, he pledged official aid to find a solution starting Wednesday, when the form of financing would be coordinated by the community.

Medina’s first stop was Mencia, around 10 kilometers north of Pedernales, where its inhabitants joined by those of nearby La Altagracia raised their concerns.