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Danilo Medina criticizes government over rice import protections
Former Dominican President Danilo Medina has criticized the administration of President Luis Abinader regarding the protection of domestic rice producers. Speaking at a Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) assembly in Jarabacoa, Medina condemned the government's decision to repeal a decree that had attempted to establish import quotas and a 99% tariff on rice from the United States.
Medina argued that the repeal leaves local farmers vulnerable to competition following the expiration of protectionist measures under the DR-CAFTA trade agreement. He described the previous attempt to implement the decree as “populist, demagogic, and irresponsible,” claiming it violated existing trade treaties, but asserted that the subsequent reversal leaves the sector unprotected.
To defend his own administration's record, Medina highlighted genetic improvement programs that increased rice yields from 4,100 to 5,100 quintals per hectare. He also noted past efforts to negotiate a ten-year extension of trade protections with former U.S. President Donald Trump to allow more time for domestic productivity gains. Other political figures, including Abel Martínez and Héctor Rodríguez Pimentel, have also expressed concern over the lack of preparedness for commercial market opening.
Entities
Abel Martínez · Asamblea Legislativa · Ciudad Juárez · DR-CAFTA · Danilo Medina · Dominican Liberation Party · Dominican Republic · Francisco Lira · Francisco Nicolás · Johnny Pujols · Luis Abinader · Marco Bonilla
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The competitiveness index between Dominican and US rice production fell from 2.13 in 2007 to 1.34 in 2024.
- [● 7 SOURCES] Dominicans consume more than 15 million quintals of rice annually. ciudadoriental.com · diariodigitaldominicano.com · guayacanalrd.com
- [● 7 SOURCES] The government failed to provide credit, technical assistance, or soft loans to prepare producers for DR-CAFTA trade liberalization. ciudadoriental.com · diariodigitaldominicano.com · guayacanalrd.com
- [● 7 SOURCES] The presidential decree of 2024 that regulated rice imports was recently repealed. ciudadoriental.com · diariodigitaldominicano.com · guayacanalrd.com
- [● 7 SOURCES] Abel Martínez accused the government of leaving rice producers unprotected against US imports. ciudadoriental.com · diariodigitaldominicano.com · guayacanalrd.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The US Department of Agriculture reports that Dominican rice production has improved in productivity and cost efficiency.