Chinese Government provides $1 million cash grant to the Dominican Republic for drought recovery through Plan Sierra

In April 2019, the Chinese Government agreed to provide a $1 million cash grant to the Government of the Dominican Republic through a signed exchange of notes with the aim of combating drought in the Central Mountain Range.

This non-reimbursable financial cooperation was delivered at an official ceremony in June 2019 where a handover agreement was signed.

Plan Sierra -- an organization affiliated with the Presidential Commission for the Yaque del Norte Basin -- was the entity designated as responsible for the actions aimed at combating the effects of the drought with the funds donated by the Chinese Government.

Plan Sierra specified that the donation would be used to build the resilience of farmers whose plantations were affected by the drought and to support the reconstruction of lagoons and the cleaning of irrigation canals.

They also specified that the funds would be used to offset the damage caused by the drought that affected the Dominican Republic in 2019, which negatively impacted the northwest line and the lower part of the Cordillera Central. They funds were meant to improve the recovery capacity of agricultural and livestock producers in those areas.