International • • • 🌿 Progressive

PLD denounces poultry crisis and seeks import halt

PLD denounces poultry crisis and seeks import halt

According to the PLD, the farm price of chicken fell from RD$45 to less than RD$32 per pound against a cost of RD$41.20, while consumers pay between RD$84 and…

--- The context --- The Dominican Liberation Party denounced a crisis in the Dominican poultry sector and demanded that the Government suspend chicken imports for the rest of 2026. According to the party, small and medium producers face economic losses while consumers keep paying high prices in stores, a combination that, in its account, threatens the financial stability of numerous farms and burdens Dominican families who rely on this basic source of protein every week. --- The facts --- According to the PLD, the price of live chicken at the farm fell from about RD$45 to less than RD$32 per pound in barely six weeks, even though the production cost is around RD$41.20. In the party's figures, that gap represents losses close to RD$11 for every pound sold. At the same time, according to the organization, consumers pay between RD$84 and RD$100 per pound, so it demanded an investigation of the marketing chain to determine why the drop at the farm is not proportionally reflected in the final price paid by families. The party attributed part of the sector's difficulties to the growth of imports. According to the figures it presented, chicken imports rose from 41,834 metric tons in 2021 to 85,747 tons in 2025, an increase of about 104.9%, and between January and September 2026 they rose 245.8% compared with the same period of the previous year, according to the organization. It also said that 1,535,227 chickens that should have been sold between 39 and 41 days of rearing remain on farms and now exceed 50 days, raising spending on feed, handling and maintenance, according to the party. --- The positions --- The PLD presented eight proposals, including suspending import permits for the rest of 2026, preventing goods entered under transit regimes from being sold in the domestic market, and setting a maximum consumer price of RD$60 per pound while the farm value stays below RD$35. It also proposed guaranteeing that small and medium poultry farmers can include at least 40% of their birds in the storage support program, that the Government buy about 1.5 million accumulated chickens for social plans at profitable prices, and an audit of authorizations granted over the last 12 months. The complaint echoed concerns attributed to poultry leaders such as Ambiorix Cabrera, Alfranny Ferreiras, Jeannette Vázquez and Alfredo Comprés. No response from the Government appears in the information released. --- What remains unknown --- The official version remains unknown on the amounts imported, the companies benefited by permits and the conditions under which those products are marketed, points the party itself asked the Ministry of Agriculture to clarify. Nor has it been publicly detailed, in what was released, how the benefits of the storage support program covering eight million chickens will be distributed, or which volumes, recognized prices and beneficiaries it will include. The organization also questioned the management of Agriculture Minister Francisco Oliverio Espaillat Bencosme and warned that the occupation of storage facilities and cold rooms limits marketing alternatives, especially for poultry farmers with fewer resources. --- Unanswered questions --- Why does the consumer price stay between RD$84 and RD$100 while the farm price falls below RD$32, according to the PLD? Which companies received import permits in the last 12 months and under what conditions, as the requested audit would examine? How will small and medium producers be guaranteed access to at least 40% of the support program without benefits concentrating in larger companies? When will the Government rule on the import suspension requested for the rest of 2026? --- EPM analysis --- The complaint focuses on a gap that squeezes both ends of the chain: producers sell below their cost, according to the party's figures, and buyers keep paying dearly. If those numbers are confirmed, the problem is not only supply but also the distribution of margins and transparency in permits. Protecting the small producer and lowering the family food bill do not have to be opposing goals, but they require public data, clear rules and an honest review of the whole chain, from the farm to the store counter, so that relief reaches those with the least cushion. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, the complaint deserves an official response with verifiable data, because it combines three claims that reinforce one another: losses attributed to producers, high prices for consumers and a jump in imports that, according to the figures presented, more than doubled in a few years. Publishing permits, beneficiaries and volumes for the eight million chicken support program favors not one party but the entire market, and it lets the public judge whether relief reaches small poultry farmers or concentrates at the top. Without that transparency, each side will keep arguing with its own numbers and the crisis, real or exaggerated, will lack a credible referee.
📤 Share on Telegram

¿Te gustó este artículo? Recibe cobertura global en tu correo.

Suscríbete gratis / Subscribe free