NewsWhore
07-08-2011, 03:30 PM
The Dominican Association of Banana Producers (Adobanana) protested that the Dominican Port Authority seeks to grant a concession of the northwesternmost Port of Manzanillo to the company Corporacion Portuaria del Atlantico. The scheme they say would put at risk 30,000 jobs that the banana industry generates and is not taking into account the 300,000 inhabitants that benefit from banana production in the Northwest.
"They intend to authorize the concession without taking into account the main user of that terminal, we the banana producers. The way the contract is written it does not establish any type of protection for banana producers, in case the cost of port services are increased with the privatization," said Pepe Fana, spokesman for the small banana producers in a press conference at the Dominican Agribusiness Council (JAD).
He argued the concession would mean the disappearance of 1,800 producers that use the Manzanilla port.
Exports of banana generate US$215 million a year. According to statistics of Adobanano, every week 375,000 boxes of banana are shipped through the port.
Fana said the banana producers have been using the port for more than 40 years.
The president of Adobanano, Salvador Estevez, said it is outrageous that the government intend to benefit a small group of businessmen and put at risk RD$22 billion a year by granting the concession to the Port of Manzanillo.
The banana producers say that if the government unilaterally grants the concession it would be in violation to Procurement Law 340-06.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)
"They intend to authorize the concession without taking into account the main user of that terminal, we the banana producers. The way the contract is written it does not establish any type of protection for banana producers, in case the cost of port services are increased with the privatization," said Pepe Fana, spokesman for the small banana producers in a press conference at the Dominican Agribusiness Council (JAD).
He argued the concession would mean the disappearance of 1,800 producers that use the Manzanilla port.
Exports of banana generate US$215 million a year. According to statistics of Adobanano, every week 375,000 boxes of banana are shipped through the port.
Fana said the banana producers have been using the port for more than 40 years.
The president of Adobanano, Salvador Estevez, said it is outrageous that the government intend to benefit a small group of businessmen and put at risk RD$22 billion a year by granting the concession to the Port of Manzanillo.
The banana producers say that if the government unilaterally grants the concession it would be in violation to Procurement Law 340-06.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)