ADHA Honors 13 Farmers and Calls for Structural Changes to Agricultural Policy

The Dominican Association of Farmers and Ranchers honored 13 producers and agribusinesses, and its president called for deep reforms in the sector.

The Asociación Dominicana de Hacendados y Agricultores (ADHA) presented its XXXV Medalla de Honor al Mérito to 13 producers, agribusinesses and institutions in the Dominican countryside. The award, given by the organization since 1983, recognizes trajectory, innovation and contributions to the country's agricultural development.

President Luis Abinader and Agriculture Minister Francisco Oliverio Espaillat attended the ceremony, along with other members of the cabinet and representatives of the productive and business sectors.

In his speech, ADHA president Jonathan Rivera acknowledged government support measures such as agricultural financing, fertilizer subsidies and farm mechanization. However, he warned that those resources are not enough. "Resources are necessary, but they are not enough: systems and structural changes are needed in public policies, in institutions and in the way they work," he said.

Rivera proposed updating the agricultural census, strengthening food safety and quality, improving water infrastructure and rural roads, and defending producers' interests in international trade negotiations. He also called for guaranteeing labor for farm work through hiring mechanisms that respect national laws.

He further proposed creating a National Agrifood Health and Safety System that would integrate the full chain of key actions needed to guarantee the quality of the food Dominicans eat and the food the country exports.

Honorees represent tobacco, coffee, rice and cacao cultivation, poultry, agribusiness, cattle ranching, fruit and vegetable production, agricultural innovation and cooperative associations. For the first time, a Young Agricultural Talent category was added.