Moca—The Dominican Government, through Inespre, paid 80 million pesos to the Dominican Poultry Association as compensation for the sacrifice of 2 million chickens, at 50 pesos per unit, to stabilize the price of eggs and chicken in the local market and avoid collapse of the sector.
The announcement was made by the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, during a meeting in Moca. Minister of Agriculture Limber Cruz and director of Inespre, Iván Hernández Guzmán, were present. Also in attendance were the director of the Agricultural Bank, Fernando Durán, the new President of the Dominican Poultry Association, José Luis Polanco (Jochy), the members of said entity, Miguel Lajara and José Pichardo, President of the Dominican Association of Laying Hens, Eriberto Grullón, President of the Cibao Breeders’ Cooperative (CoopCibao), and hundreds of poultry producers in the area.
President Luis Abinader expressed his satisfaction for having honored this commitment. He congratulated poultry producers for helping to ensure food security by increasing chicken and egg production in the Dominican Republic.
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 financing of five billion pesos 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 sacrifice of the chickens.
New initiatives
President Luis Abinader reiterated his commitment to supporting the development and consolidation of the national poultry sector. He announced the investment of 200 million pesos for the construction of a refrigerated warehouse, and the creation of a 400 million pesos fund for a pledge program through the Agricultural Bank and the Dominican Poultry Association.
He also promised the renegotiation of debts with the Agricultural Bank, support in modernization, credit portfolio, human resources, and the creation of a poultry commission with the participation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Inespre, the Agricultural Bank and other institutions. He also spoke about the opening of new egg export markets, such as Cuba and Guyana.
José Luis Polanco, new president of the Dominican Association of Poultry Farmers, reported that the stability of the sector was achieved thanks to teamwork with the Government and its institutions such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Inespre, the Agricultural Bank, among others.
Polanco highlighted that in 2023 the national poultry sector will produce more than 650 thousand chickens per day, and emphasized the need for mixed planning commission with the government to communicate and plan production.
Border closure
Other ADA member producers who supported the initiatives were Miguel Lájara, president of Sanut, and José Pichardo, president of Asonaprop. Pichardo highlighted the rapid intervention of Inespre by purchasing 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.
Eriberto Grullón, president of the Cibao Breeders’ Cooperative (COOPCIBAO), which brings together more than 2,500 members, said that when the sector is stable they feel strong enough 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 will continue to fulfill the role for which it was created and expressed his satisfaction for having collaborated with the Agricultural Cabinet to solve this problem.
