The EU has millions for bananas

[NewsWhore]

The Dominican ambassador in to the European Union, Federico Cuello Camilo, says that the European Union has set aside 80 million euros for assistance to Dominican banana farmers. The ambassador was speaking at a luncheon meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Relations hosted by Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso. According to the Brussels-based ambassador, the funds are available now, having been negotiated in 2006, outside the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that was signed with the block of Caribbean nations. Ambassador Cuello and Minister Morales Troncoso told reporters from Listin Diario that the banana sector had made a positive recovery and had done so quickly enough for many of the producers to repay the government credit they were granted to help with the recovery of their crops after last year's tropical storms. Banana cultivation provides 15,000 jobs in the northwest of the Dominican Republic, and the banana sector's spokespersons listed their priorities for the government representatives: First, an improved irrigation infrastructure in order to compete with Central America; second, a reduction in the cost of transportation which can be achieved by using the port of Manzanillo rather than Haina for exports, and third, the exporters want measures that will help them compete on the world markets. Ambassador Cuello said that the repairs at Manzanillo were feasible since maritime transport and administration was liberalized under the EAA agreement. Bananas produce as much as US$100 million in exports and pay millions of pesos to 15,000 workers each week.

More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#9)