Ministry of Agriculture: Dominican Republic achieves self-sufficiency in rice cultivation

With the last harvest of the year, the Government of the Dominican Republic, through the Ministry of Agriculture, ensured that it achieved self-sufficiency in rice cultivation after exceeding 13 million quintals, without the need to import the cereal, minister Limber Cruz reported.

According to a statement, the government’s economic and technological support to the rice sector ensured a 20% increase in the harvest yield, thereby guaranteeing supply and price stability.

The Minister of Agriculture pointed out that the success of the cereal harvest was because of the development of varieties that can produce more with less investment, such as the Juma 69-20, which constituted 60% of the national production and achieved a yield of 20%.

“At the Bio-Rice laboratory we are conducting trials with another variety, the Juma 70-22, with which we can say goodbye to imports. We have a supply of more than 13 million quintals, and thanks to this super-production, we do not have to import a single grain of rice," Cruz said.

Other enforcement

Together with President Luis Abinader, Cruz led a lunch with authorities from the agricultural sector of the Monseñor Nouel province, coffee, cocoa and cattle producers, where he presented the actions carried out in favor of the country's food security.

The minister said that the government allocated more than RD$558 million at a zero and preferential rate through the Agricultural Bank to promote agriculture in the area.

Regarding free land preparation for cultivating items such as hybrid corn, pigeon peas, chili peppers, lettuce, aubergines, cucumbers, squash, bananas and beans, 70,000 tasks were intervened for the benefit of 1,000 farmers.

Also, of some 200 kilometers of local roads, the entity repaired about 25 and expanded seven kilometers of irrigation canals with the support of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (Indrhi).

Likewise, some 2,800 quintals of fertilizers and 800 liters of fungicides were donated to 337 coffee producers, and 378,000 seedlings delivered. Some 84 beneficiary farmers received 190,000 seedlings and 168 quintals of fertilizers to promote cocoa cultivation.