[DR1] Import and export of crabmeat

[NewsWhore]

Apparently, the Dominican Republic is importing crabmeat from Cuba and re-exporting it to Puerto Rico. According to El Caribe, the country imported 2, 940 kg. of crabs and crabmeat in 2005, and re-exported it to Puerto Rico. The sale brought in US$66,000. For 2006, 198 dozen live crabs have been shipped to Puerto Rico along with 370 kg. of crabmeat. These figures also include crabs caught in the Dominican Republic. According to Ricardo Colon Alvarez, the director of the Department of Coastal and Marine Resources at the Ministry of the Environment, "the advantage of crab that is raised in Cuba for export is that it is processed in a facility designed for that purpose and it is completely free of any shells or other contaminants." He added, "in the case of crabmeat processed in the Dominican Republic, it is processed in back yards and on porches without the adequate sanitary controls." According to the El Caribe report, the DR, Cuba and Haiti do not consume a great deal of crab meat, but in the English-speaking Caribbean and in Puerto Rico it is a popular dish.

Link To Original Article (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)