Puerto Rico's Farmers Association said that the entry of vacuum packed peeled plantain from the Dominican Republic jeopardized the local plantain industry.
The President of the Association, Hector Ivan Cordero, stated in a press release that most producers of plantains and bananas on the island were upset by this situation and that they had protested.
"It is true that Puerto Rico has an entry ban on both plantains and bananas with skin and that there is no restriction for the entry of peeled products; however, our plantain production is currently at its peak and it is more difficult to sell the local produce when it has to compete with the product from abroad. It is a situation that negatively impacts businesses and jobs in agriculture," stated the president of the Association.
The organization also urged the Ministries of Agriculture and Health to investigate if the Dominican product entering the island meets the parameters to prevent contamination and possible transmission of diseases in processed foods.
"Let's not forget that the Dominican Republic, as other countries in Central America, has no restrictions on the use of certain pesticides that are harmful to human health and that are banned in Puerto Rico," said Ivan Cordero.
The producers protested after they read in El Nacional, a Dominican digital media, that the Dominican company Agromapex was exporting about 125,000 peeled and packaged plantains to the Puerto Rican market on a weekly basis. This number translates roughly to 500,000 plantains per month.
Source: primerahora.com