Members of the Dominican public who wish to import agricultural products are reminded that they require a permit to do so.
The announcement was made by Agricultural Officer with the Ministry of Agriculture Plant Protection and Quarantine Unit, Dayan Abraham.
“Persons who are wishing to import any agricultural product, there is a process which they have to go through and that is first, by applying for an import permit,” she said.
Abraham continued, “An import permit basically is what we call a passport to bring in any agricultural products into Dominica, so it’s an official document which is implemented by the Plant Protection Quarantine Unit which gives you the permission to bring in these products.”
She said some of the agricultural products include apple, grapes, pears, Irish potatoes, cantaloupe and seeds for backyard gardening
She said application forms for the import permit are available at the Botanic Gardens and on the Ministry of Agriculture website.
The form after it’s downloaded can be emailed to [email protected].
More information can be obtained by calling 1-767-266-3802.
“The normal process would be, we have to conduct an assessment called a Pest Risk Analysis with that information,” she explained. “Once that assessment is completed we would list the import requirements, let you know under which conditions and what are the necessary requirements needed to bring in that product.”
Abraham encourages everyone who intends to import any agricultural products to first contact the Plant Protection Quarantine Unit and find out what documents are needed in order to help the ministry protect Dominica from invasive species.
Meanwhile, Dr. Natalia Lugay of the Livestock Development Unit of the Division of Agriculture, said anyone who is importing meat or is expecting to receive meat should visit the Botanic Gardens Livestock Unit to receive their import permit.
She said import permits will cost $10 per product depending on the type of animal meat that one is importing.
“So all pork products will be $10 on one form,” Dr. Lugay stated. “When you come to the Botanic Gardens, be advised that you must know where the product is coming from, the quantity of the product that you will be receiving and the type of product. For example, don’t simply say that you are receiving pork, we need to know if it is bacon or pork slabs and what quantities of that you will be expecting.”
It is one thing to import products for commercial sale which should require an import permit. It is quite another to import a small quantity of produce for personal consumption.
Getting a permit to import the product without having first seen it to ascertain whether it is diseased does not make any sense. If the authorities believe there is an infestation in a particular country that can adversely affect crops in Dominica, import permits are not needed. All they would have to do is confiscate the product on arrival.
If they are concerned about pests coming from anywhere in the word that could affect local produce, they should prohibit importation of all agricultural products, just like the Americans.
If the produced is not grown in Dominica and there is no chance of it infecting local produce, there is no point in getting an import permit, just as what the Canadians do.
It just seems to me, there are rules that make no sense and they stay there forever.
It seems all at the predominantly black nations follow this same stupid setup not allowing their citizens to import freely for personal consumption, it’s a stupid outdated practice that holds back the low to medium income groups who would be buying small quantities of meats, seeds, plants to assist themselves and their families, imagine buying a ham for $8 and having to obtain a permit for $10 to bring it in , pure stupidity, and the hiding behind harmful insects and invasive species give me a break, each year the hurricanes mixes the whole caribbean flora and fauna like a blender so don’t give us that she…t, my country is no different all black and following the stupid lead of euro centric practice.
Very good. I hope the ham and turkey distributed by government this Christmas got their permit too. That will be at min. 20 dollars per container MP. If not, I do wonder what are the names on the bill of lading if it is not a state secret.