NewsWhore
04-21-2008, 05:50 PM
The nearly 60% increase in the price of diesel fuel over the past 16 months has added RD$300 million to food production costs in the Dominican Republic. This reality increases costs by 20%. In January of 2007 a gallon of diesel fuel was RD$100.50. The current price is RD$159. Osmar Benitez, a leading farm producer and former executive vice president of the Agro-Industrial Board (JAD), has called on the government to reduce the taxes it receives on diesel sales as a quick way of reducing farmers' operational costs. In the Dominican Republic, over 1000 hectares of beans and 6000 hectares of plantains are irrigated with diesel pumps. Rice, the nation's number one food, costs RD$1.44 billion to harvest and 12% of this expenditure is on diesel fuel for tractors and other equipment. The price increases have added another RD$70 million to these costs.
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More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#9)