During a ceremony to celebrate the 28th anniversary of the Dominican Peasant Movement (MCD), its president, Ernesto del Rosario, said that the lack of effective policies and the lack of government investment have caused a process of migration to urban areas and abroad.

Del Rosario said that this situation has left only 13 percent of the population living in the countryside.

He considered that the State should prioritize in rural areas the construction and repair of local roads, construction of bridges and aqueducts. In addition, the construction, expansion, repair and equipment of primary health care units and housing projects.

He said that although the MCD recognizes the Government’s effort to solve the transportation problem in Santo Domingo and other big cities, it must also look to the countryside where the country roads and inter-parcel roads are impassable.

He said that due to the lack of bridges, dozens of communities are cut off during rainy periods.

More than 400 delegates from the different associations, federations and farmers’ groups that make up the MCD participated in the meeting.

The MCD president also said that they currently receive little support from the agricultural sector institutions and that most of the resources are allocated to large producers, leaving aside the small and medium-sized ones.

For this reason, the small farmers demanded support for production, infrastructure works, seeds and seedlings.

ef/abo/mem/mpv