Dominican Republic’s export and investment agency (CEI-RD), the Agricultural Development Fund (FEDA) and the Agriculture Ministry on Sunday announced a project to help more than 100 pineapple growers export 120 containers of the fruit to Europe each week and create around 20,000 jobs.
In a statement CEI-RD director Jean Alain Rodríguez said pineapples figure among Dominican Republic’s highest export potential and high income because it’s one of the tropical fruits the world markets most demand. “This project will add 20,000 new jobs, which will provide a livelihood for thousands of families.”
In that regard, the head of the pineapple growers and producers association, Mario Velásquez, said the first harvest from the 10 million imported suckers is taking place across the country, but noted that to reach the goal of exporting 120 containers weekly, they still lack the land to plant them.
He said arrangements with the Dominican Agrarian Institute and the State Sugar Council are now being made for more land, “because this is a stumbling block that we have to develop this project and to export all that.”
Source: Dominican Today