La Vega.- Former President Leonel Fernández, leader of the People’s Force (FP), accused the government of weakening the Dominican Republic’s negotiating position with the United States over rice provisions in the DR-CAFTA agreement.
Fernández argued that the government lost credibility to seek a review of the agreement after allowing what he described as a sharp increase in rice imports from several countries without the corresponding tariffs.
He said imports rose from about 500,000 quintals to 6 million quintals in 2024, which he attributed to decisions made during the electoral campaign. According to Fernández, the imports came from countries other than the United States and were authorized without the applicable tariffs, undermining the country’s position in negotiations with U.S. authorities.
The former president said these actions had compromised the government’s ability to defend the interests of Dominican rice producers in discussions over DR-CAFTA.
Fernández made the statements during a political visit to La Vega.