Over the next five years, Northern Sunshine Farms and its Dominican joint-venture partner will find the best varieties of pinto beans for Caribbean growers and provide them with seed. They will buy the beans and process them, initially with a mobile processor, and later at a permanent plant they plan to build near the port of Santo Domingo. Other opportunities Northern Sunshine Farms will have exclusive rights for selling the beans in the Dominican Republic, and opportunities for selling seed, fertilizer and equipment. The company also hopes to buy land from the Dominican government and produce its own beans. National consumption of beans is around 100 million pounds, said Gantzert.
Local production depends on the weather.
North Dakota, Colorado and Idaho have been major exporters to the country, he said. But eventually, the Dominican Republic hopes to become self-sufficient in beans, and export some to other Caribbean countries. Test farms have been growing Manitoba seed since late November. It will be harvested in late February. On a trip to the country in late December, Beavis reported the Manitoba varieties look much healthier than local crops, said Gantzert.