Contraband from Haiti hurts local crop

[NewsWhore]

The Constanza Valley Garlic Growers Association is complaining that its members are about to lose more than 50,000 quintals of garlic from this year's crop, due to the enormous amount of garlic that is crossing the border from Haiti. This garlic is imported from China for eventual distribution in the Dominican Republic. So far, the authorities have not located the masterminds behind the scheme. Dominican garlic producers say that despite the fact that there is a specialized corps of military personnel on the frontier, trucks and containers full of garlic are crossing the border and heading to the markets of Santiago and Santo Domingo, and nobody sees that this is illegal competition for the local producers. According to the association, local garlic producers owe more than RD$1 billion to local banks and will go bankrupt if they cannot sell their product. Miguel Quezada, the head of the Constanza Garlic Farmers Association, told Listin Diario reporters that powerful people must be involved in the contraband since it is incomprehensible that a truck can pass through six check points without its illegal cargo being discovered.

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