NewsWhore
06-11-2012, 05:20 PM
President Leonel Fernandez inaugurated the cold storage and fresh produce distribution center, Merca Santo Domingo on Wednesday, 6 June. The government said it cost RD$5 billion. Diario Libre, nevertheless, reports that MercaSanto Domingo will not begin operations until the end of the year.
President Fernandez said the operation would benefit more than three million inhabitants. Merca Santo Domingo will supply four other large markets in the National District as part of a network to supply retailers nationwide. The facility is located at Km. 22 of Duarte Highway, covering an area of 1,300,000 square meters. It includes six 7,200 m2 industrial buildings. Five are fitted with 280 stands for produce wholesalers and another has 616 mobile stands for farm producers. Another two industrial units are for storing empty packing units to be used by the wholesalers.
The premises also house a cold storage warehouse under concession to the private company Almacen de Frigorificos Dominicanos (Afridonsa).
MercaSanto Domingo was built with original financing of US$114 million from the Deutsche Bank, Spain that was increased to US$219.1 million. A further RD$200 million was used to improve the markets.
Merca Santo Domingo was built by the Office of Supervisory Engineers of Public Works, directed by Luis Wilfredo Sifres Nunez.
Sifres said the market would guarantee fair prices for fresh produce by reducing the need for intermediaries.
There has been some criticism because while the cold storage and main building are complete, complementary works including an access road and an overpass at Duarte Highway need to be completed for the facility to be fully operational. The project was begun in 2003 with financing guaranteed by the Spanish government export agency.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)
President Fernandez said the operation would benefit more than three million inhabitants. Merca Santo Domingo will supply four other large markets in the National District as part of a network to supply retailers nationwide. The facility is located at Km. 22 of Duarte Highway, covering an area of 1,300,000 square meters. It includes six 7,200 m2 industrial buildings. Five are fitted with 280 stands for produce wholesalers and another has 616 mobile stands for farm producers. Another two industrial units are for storing empty packing units to be used by the wholesalers.
The premises also house a cold storage warehouse under concession to the private company Almacen de Frigorificos Dominicanos (Afridonsa).
MercaSanto Domingo was built with original financing of US$114 million from the Deutsche Bank, Spain that was increased to US$219.1 million. A further RD$200 million was used to improve the markets.
Merca Santo Domingo was built by the Office of Supervisory Engineers of Public Works, directed by Luis Wilfredo Sifres Nunez.
Sifres said the market would guarantee fair prices for fresh produce by reducing the need for intermediaries.
There has been some criticism because while the cold storage and main building are complete, complementary works including an access road and an overpass at Duarte Highway need to be completed for the facility to be fully operational. The project was begun in 2003 with financing guaranteed by the Spanish government export agency.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)