José G. Jáquez, Vice Minister of Production Incentives and Entrepreneurship of the Administrative Ministry of the Presidency, visited this Wednesday the sea salt factory of Puerto Alejandro, in the community of Jaquimeyes, with the purpose of promoting the industrialization of this mineral for local consumption.
The official affirmed that the administration of President Luis Abinader seeks to activate the economy by giving value to national products, recovering and optimizing all the sources that guarantee jobs and potentialize better life opportunities for Dominicans with the industrialization of the sea salt factories in Baní, Montecristi, Barahona and Azua.
He emphasized that for a long time in the Dominican Republic an “absolutely false” idea was sold that sea salt was harmful to domestic consumption.
“To favor some importers of the mineral, the previous geniuses fabricated a resolution in Public Health that confirmed that local salt was not apt for the consumption of our people, confusing grain salt with refined salt and iodine, in that they wrapped a lie, that is why the companies that commercialize refined salt import it from Colombia and that this monopoly will end in this Government,” said Jáquez.
He explained that there is a tripartite agreement between the Mayor’s Office of Jaquimeyes, as the governing entity, Centro Cuesta Nacional (CNC), and the Government to implement an industry that will remain in time, profitable and efficient for the benefit of the locals.
The factory is located in the Sierra Martin Garcia and currently has 32 quarries available producing the mineral, but that the intervention of the Government whose quantity could be quadrupled to supply the local trade.
While the local mayor Carlos Batista (Pollo) and the president of the Chapter House, Ana Josefina Matos, agreed that the town is jubilant for the visit of Jáquez and for the interest shown by the Government to make come true the dream that they have been longing for a long time to put the factory to work to recover the lost jobs.
The alderman Napoleón Matos stated that the announcement of the Government and the visit of the vice-minister shows that the Government is very sensitive to the people, since the economic situation of 150 to 200 men could change with the opening of this project.
The director of Incentives to Production and Entrepreneurship, Héctor Li, former deputy Aquiles Ledesma, regional supervisor of the vice-minister of Incentives to Production and Entrepreneurship, Juan Alejo, and some 300 community members were present.
