Dominican Republic and Haiti to increase sanitary controls

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, April 2, 2012 (IICA). The main objective of a project to be executed with support from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) is to ensure that the quarantine services of the Dominican Republic and Haiti can comply with international sanitary and phytosanitary standards.

The initiative will receive DR$170 million in funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the Food for Progress Program. The agreement was signed by the Minister of Agriculture of the Dominican Republic, Salvador Jimenez; the IICA Representative in that country, Manuel Sanchez; and the U.S. ambassador, Raul Yzaguire. Also in attendance at the ceremony was the Haitian ambassador, Fritz Cineas and Joseph Jolivert Toussaint, Director of Quarantine of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development of Haiti, in representation of the Haitian Minister, Hébert Docteur.

The main purpose of the initiative is to prevent the entry and spread of pests and diseases that can affect agricultural and livestock production in the two countries, thus making it possible to increase exports.

The project will last three years and is intended to modernize the legal and regulatory frameworks as well as the information systems of the quarantine services operating in selected seaports and airports, by making improvements in infrastructure, training and internal communication as they apply to international quarantine standards.

The Minister of Agriculture of the Dominican Republic underscored the importance of the agreement, noting that it will improve the quality of products and make the countries more competitive in international markets.

The Haitian ambassador highlighted the need to improve sanitary controls, stating “It is unlikely that any pest affecting the Dominican Republic will not make its way to Haiti.”

According to the IICA Representative in the Dominican Republic, “This agreement will play a significant role in improving agricultural health in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, while strengthening technical cooperation between their ministries of agriculture.

For more information, contact: 
manuel.sanchez@iica.int