Cibao poultry producers denounce uncontrolled increase in chicken prices

Moca. – The pound of chicken is currently selling for between RD$70 and RD$80 at points of sale in the Cibao region, an increase that has been described as "exorbitant" by the Association of Small and Medium Poultry Producers Moca-Licey (Approamoli), whose president, Ambiorix Cabrera, warns of a production crisis that threatens the food security of Dominican households. According to Cabrera, the increase is due to the lack of planning and market control by the Government, which, he assures, has handed over the management of the sector to a small group of entrepreneurs without a national strategy. "The producers are doing whatever they want, and that generates cycles of oversupply followed by scarcity," he denounced.

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The increase not only impacts consumers' wallets, but has also reduced the product's availability in small shops and supermarkets in Moca, Licey and surrounding areas, generating concern about the effect this may have on other meat products. Faced with this situation, Cabrera made an urgent call to President Luis Abinader to establish a joint working table, to coordinate production according to demand and avoid future crises in the sector. Approamoli insists that a sustainable and participatory agricultural policy is needed to restore stability to the supply chain of a basic food in the Dominican diet.