Bolívar Troncoso Morales: DR in first place for organic agriculture

September 14, 2016

During the discussion following the screening of the film 10 Billion: What’s on Your Plate? this week, as part of the sixth Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF), the president of the Dominican Flavors Foundation mentioned that the Dominican Republic occupies first place in Latin America for organic agriculture.

Troncoso Morales noted, “We are large exporters of banana, cacao, coffee, coconut, and organic vegetables, but these products go to countries in the European Union, which really know how to eat healthy foods.” He likewise stressed that this potential is not publicized “because technology, the media, finance, and big capital get in the way to keep people from knowing.”

Troncoso Morales, who is also president of the Panamerican Confederation of Hotellery, Gastronomy, and Tourism Schools (CONPEHT) highlighted that we are living in a society full of conflicts and paradigms in search of solutions. We must raise awareness surrounding these issues, he continued, to make our planet more sustainable and our food healthier, without intervention from chemicals or preservatives.

He added that young people and children are not being educated to eat healthily and use local products.

At the end of the film discussion, Troncoso Morales urged young people in the audience to dare to make an impact and raise awareness on sustainability in general as a way to continue caring for our planet.

About the film’s producer
Valentín Thurn, producer of 10 Billion: What’s on Your Plate?, told Dominican Flavors that the inspiration for the documentary came from seeing supermarkets’ rubbish bins and realizing just how much food gets wasted.

With his film 10 Billion: What’s on Your Plate?, he seeks to create solutions worldwide and promote innovation and production in sustainable eating.

Thurn went on to note that Dominican gastronomy had the good fortune of including mangú (puree of plantain with cheese and spring onion) and declared that “Dominican cuisine should conserve its traditional dishes and the influence that makes it so special.”

He also noted that consuming local products is the best thing one can do, so that Dominican farmers can produce more food and avoid being forced to give up their profession.

10 Billion: What’s on Your Plate? will be screened in coming months in more than 20 countries around the world.

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