Dominican Republic food insecurity affects 4.7 million, data allegedly omitted

Onofre Rojas, head of the public‑policy implementation office for the Fuerza del Pueblo party, asserted that the government has left out key figures in the latest FAO report on food security. While the UN agency notes a significant drop in extreme under‑nourishment, Rojas says 4.7 million Dominicans still face moderate to severe food insecurity, driven mainly by rising food prices and household economic constraints. He highlighted that the decline in hunger rates from 24.5 % in 1996 to 8.7 % in 2020 reflects decades of public policies, but warned that the current cost of the food basket remains a major challenge. Rojas called for stronger national policies to boost agricultural production and safeguard food security.