The Dajabón Binational Market Gets Massive Flow Of Haitians

On Friday, Dec. 2, the Dajabón binational market is held with a huge influx of Haitian shoppers and vendors, Diario Libre reported.

Thousands of people from the neighboring country of Haiti started to come to the square to exchange goods and services with Dominicans starting at 8:00 in the morning, the time when both countries opened their borders on the bridge over the Massacre river.

People who live in these facilities assure that after the closure of the border, on the Haitian side for almost a week last month, the presence of foreign buyers has increased.

According to some people, the surge is caused by the marketing of fuels in Haiti.

Others argue that by the end of the year the economies of both countries become more dynamic.

Porfirio Fernández, a Dominican businessman, expressed his expectation that after the flurry of holiday-related sales, the flow of customers will continue into the new year.

"Hopefully that will be the behavior in 2023," said Fernández.

A Haitian businessman named Yessy Pie praised the sensible choice, by the people of both nations, to set aside their differences and restore trade along the northern strip of the Haitian-Dominican border. In his memory, thousands of households from both countries receive resources thanks to trade.

"Haiti and the Dominican Republic are two countries that cannot get along, since we are brothers," Pie said.

The Dajabón market is where residents of the adjacent nation shop for a variety of goods, including chickens, eggs, bananas, pasta, chili peppers, lettuce, cabbage, carrots, canned goods, and sausages. While Dominicans spend their money on clothing and other goods.

Members of the Army of the Dominican Republic (ERD) and the Specialized Corps for Land Border Security (Cesfront) keep an eye on the border boundary while trade is taking place.

Also, the Ministry of Public Health carries out sanitary controls to prevent the spread of cholera in the country.

Dajabón is a municipality and capital of the Dajabón province in the Dominican Republic, which is located on the northwestern Dominican Republic frontier with Haiti. It is a market town with a population of about 26,000, north of the Cordillera Central mountain range.