Haiti.- Due to the current closure of the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Haiti has been seeking construction materials from alternative sources. According to Amado Gutiérrez, president of the Dominican-Haitian Truckers Federation, Haiti has been importing cement and rebar from Turkey, wood from Brazil, and electrical goods and hardware components from China.
This change of suppliers has become necessary as the border closure has disrupted normal trade between the two countries. Gutiérrez expressed the need to resume commercial activities with Haiti, especially in the construction sector, and warned that the Dominican Republic could lose the Haitian market if bilateral relations are not reestablished.
The border closure and trade disruption have also had a significant impact on truckers, who have not been included in government aid programs, according to Gutiérrez.