[Many thanks to Sophie Maríñez for bringing this item to our attention.] “An import ban targets sugar from Central Romana Company, a behemoth whose sugar is bought underneath the Domino model.” Ana Swanson studies for The New York Instances:
The Biden administration introduced Wednesday that it will block shipments of sugar from Central Romana Company, a Dominican Republic firm that produces sugar bought in america underneath the Domino model and that has lengthy confronted allegations of subjecting its employees to poor labor circumstances.
U.S. Customs and Border Safety issued what is called a withhold launch order in opposition to the corporate “based mostly on info that fairly signifies using pressured labor in its operations,” together with abusive working and dwelling circumstances, extreme extra time, withheld wages and different violations. [. . .]
Central Romana responded that it was “very disillusioned” by the choice and that it had been investing considerably for years to enhance the dwelling circumstances of its staff.
“We disagree vehemently with the choice as we don’t consider it displays the details about our firm and the therapy of our staff,” it stated in an announcement on Wednesday. [. . .]
Central Romana, which is the most important landholder and employer within the Dominican Republic, exports greater than 200 million kilos of sugar to america annually. It’s owned partly by the Fanjul household, an influential pressure in U.S. politics for many years as key donors to each Republicans and Democrats. The measures have been the topic of an intense debate on Capitol Hill, the place earnings from the sugar trade are funneled into beneficiant marketing campaign contributions and lobbying expenditures, in response to folks acquainted with the discussions who spoke on the situation of anonymity.
The US is crucial marketplace for Dominican sugar, and the transfer might have a crippling impact on Central Romana, which alone produces roughly 59 % of the Dominican Republic’s sugar, in response to the U.S. Division of Agriculture.
It might additionally trigger important disruptions to U.S. sugar imports within the close to time period, although economists stated the influence on sugar costs, that are closely influenced by regulation, remained to be seen. These laws embrace value helps that preserve U.S. sugar costs far above these on world markets, in addition to preferential tariff charges for sugar imported from the Dominican Republic. [. . .]
The Dominican sugar trade has been the topic of scrutiny for many years for its poor labor practices. Media studies and human rights teams have stated Central Romana exerts super energy over its employees, lots of whom are Haitian migrants and a few of whom lack citizenship.
Many employees dwell in dilapidated housing with out working water and electrical energy, in response to civil society teams. The corporate has additionally been accused of forcibly evicting households from their houses within the Dominican Republic, and using a pressure of masked and armed guards that intimidate employees.
Central Romana has publicly defended its practices and has stated it affords among the many greatest working circumstances within the trade. A congressional delegation that visited the Dominican Republic and met with employees this summer time stated the nation had made progress towards addressing among the worst abuses, together with baby labor and human trafficking.
However the delegation nonetheless discovered proof that pressured labor was persisting on the sugar cane farms. Sugar cane cutters confronted “arduous working and dwelling circumstances” and “a tradition of worry seems to permeate the trade,” Representatives Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and Dan Kildee of Michigan, each Democrats, stated in an announcement.
Members of the Fanjul household, Cuban exiles who began sugar cane farms in Florida and purchased the Dominican Republic firm within the Nineteen Eighties, have been a robust pressure in American politics for many years, identified for relationships with the Bush household, the Clintons and Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, amongst others. They’re half house owners of American Sugar Refining, the world’s largest sugar refinery, which processes sugar from the Dominican Republic at its U.S. amenities and sells to firms together with Hershey.
For full article, see https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/23/enterprise/economic system/us-sugar-imports-forced-labor.html