NewsWhore
01-13-2009, 05:20 PM
The Price Stabilization Institute (Inespre) is aiming to reach many more people and provide affordable foods to nearly 100% of the poorest households by the end of the year through of a series of programs geared to local food markets.
This goal will have to be attained with a budget that is close to RD$29,000,000 a month (nearly RD$400,000,000 per year) and a difficult operational process that overcomes difficulties left by the former administration that left the accounts frozen and several questions hanging in the air.
The organization expects that the Ministry of Agriculture budget for handling these farmer's markets will be transferred to them, together with the program.
Yesterday, Inespre executive director Ricardo Jacobo gave a broad outline of the plans he wants to follow in order to restore some of the institution's credibility in order to handle these farmer's outlets and mobile distribution units ceded by the Ministry of Agriculture on 1 January and become a real price-based option in a country where traders refuse to lower prices.
As of yesterday, Inespre was operating 22 farmer's markets in the poorer areas of Santo Domingo province and the National District, and others are in the process of being set up.
According to Jacobo, this week another 15 or 20 market sites will be prepared, with the goal for January set at 100 sites serving the public. He told El Caribe reporters during their Economic Breakfast meeting with Multimedios del Caribe that he was aiming to have 600 of these low-cost food markets set up around the country by year's end.
According to his calculations, for every RD$100 million invested in farmers' markets, as many as 350,000 families can be helped with lower cost foodstuffs, or a total of 1.8 million people on a monthly basis.
While Inespre received these markets without debt entanglements, the organization is also waiting for the Agriculture Ministry to transfer the funds for managing the markets.
Inespre is also remodeling their premises on Isabel Aguilar Avenue where a huge new supermarket will be open to the public. New or remodeled supermarkets are also planned for San Francisco de Macoris and La Vega.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)
This goal will have to be attained with a budget that is close to RD$29,000,000 a month (nearly RD$400,000,000 per year) and a difficult operational process that overcomes difficulties left by the former administration that left the accounts frozen and several questions hanging in the air.
The organization expects that the Ministry of Agriculture budget for handling these farmer's markets will be transferred to them, together with the program.
Yesterday, Inespre executive director Ricardo Jacobo gave a broad outline of the plans he wants to follow in order to restore some of the institution's credibility in order to handle these farmer's outlets and mobile distribution units ceded by the Ministry of Agriculture on 1 January and become a real price-based option in a country where traders refuse to lower prices.
As of yesterday, Inespre was operating 22 farmer's markets in the poorer areas of Santo Domingo province and the National District, and others are in the process of being set up.
According to Jacobo, this week another 15 or 20 market sites will be prepared, with the goal for January set at 100 sites serving the public. He told El Caribe reporters during their Economic Breakfast meeting with Multimedios del Caribe that he was aiming to have 600 of these low-cost food markets set up around the country by year's end.
According to his calculations, for every RD$100 million invested in farmers' markets, as many as 350,000 families can be helped with lower cost foodstuffs, or a total of 1.8 million people on a monthly basis.
While Inespre received these markets without debt entanglements, the organization is also waiting for the Agriculture Ministry to transfer the funds for managing the markets.
Inespre is also remodeling their premises on Isabel Aguilar Avenue where a huge new supermarket will be open to the public. New or remodeled supermarkets are also planned for San Francisco de Macoris and La Vega.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)