Santo Domingo — The director of the Dominican Coffee Institute (INDOCAFE), Leonidas Batista, reported that 49.3 million coffee plants have been planted in this administration, 18.43% more than in the 2016-20 period, when 40.7 million plants of that crop were planted.
He said that this increase in coffee plantations, 9.3 million plants, was supported by the loans granted by the Agricultural Bank to coffee growers at zero rates and 6% and 8%, just in time to plant, fertilize, and fumigate.
Leonidas Batista
That allowed 168,958 tareas to be planted in this government administration, up from 129,678 tareas in the 2016-20 administration, an increase of 23.25%, Batista indicated when interviewed on National Coffee Day.
He noted that during this period, 1,382,583.55 quintals of coffee were produced, an increase of 42.64% compared to 2016-20 when production was 791,782 quintals.
The official stated that during the last government, 120,061.97 quintals of coffee were exported, and during this administration, 281,891.89 quintals have been exported, an increase of 54.22%.
He added that in terms of foreign exchange income from grain exports, US$31,106,817.98 entered the country in the previous period, while US$65,413,849.68 entered the country in this administration.
Batista indicated that, in support of coffee production and commercialization, 2,051 loans were granted in the September 2020-23 period for a total of RD$1,337,844,448, while in the previous period, 1,146 loans were given for RD$817,318,609, with an interest rate of over 12%.
The head of the department pointed out that other relevant social achievements are the repair of 3,585 km of roads and bridle paths, the support of the children of coffee-growing families with 286 scholarships in different areas of knowledge, 108 solidarity pensions, and 5,754 families, including in Senasa Insurance.
He said that to strengthen the coffee value chain, President Luis Abinader has developed activities aimed at articulating, coordinating, and implementing effective policies and actions to increase production, generate wealth, and improve the quality of life of coffee-growing communities.
Leonidas Batista said that coffee production is characterized by being mostly in the hands of small producers. It constitutes the main economic activity in the mountain zone, which is distributed in 26 provinces and 68 municipalities of the country’s main mountain ranges.