The Dominican Republic's banana exporters have been unable to ship their produce in the country's northwest following the privatization of key port Manzanillo, website Prensard.com reported.

The Montecristeño Banana Exporters Association (Asexbam) and the Association of National Banana Producers (Adobanano), said the port had been militarized and facilities were blocked after it went into the hands of the Atlantic Port Corporation.

Asexbam president said the union was opposed to the privatization as it did not give concessions to the banana industry.

"If we are the ones who generate the jobs and we have worked for more than 50 years in the production of bananas and plantains, why are we not taken into account and have to give up the port to a group of businesspeople who have the province of Santiago and now want to rob us of what only belongs to the Northwest Line?" he was quoted as saying.

An Adobanano representative told newspaper El Caribe the privatization decision put 30,000 jobs at risk in the region.

The region ships around US$215 million in musaceae species annually, while Adobanano said around 375,000MT bananas were normally exported weekly.

Photo: www.prensard.com

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