90% of farm workers are Haitian

[NewsWhore]

Hardly any agricultural activity in the Dominican Republic is possible without the labor of Haitian workers. Dependence on these workers is such that that many large-scale farmers have told Listin Diario that the latest surge in agricultural production and exports would not have been possible without the Haitian workforce. As examples, the report says that bananas, rice, coffee, cacao, industrial tomatoes, beans and vegetables are almost entirely cultivated by Haitian laborers. Conservative estimates by the Dominican Agribusiness Council (JAD) and rice producer Victorio Valerio reflect the fact that nearly 100% of the rice-farming workforce is Haitian. In this sector alone over 88,000 foreign workers are employed at salaries ranging from RD$200 to RD$300 per day, depending on their role and the region of the country where the farm is located. As many as 55,000 Haitians are employed in the sugar fields, equivalent to about 95% of workers in the sugar cane industry, an industry that is being increasingly mechanized. The JAD estimates that at least 35,000 Haitians work in the banana industry, although Dominican women make up the majority in the washing and grading operations of this export crop.

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