The Dominican Republic's export sector has experienced significant growth, driven by government strategies and the diversification of its supply. "The Dominican Republic has taken advantage of its excellent maritime and air connectivity to consolidate itself as a logistics hub in the Caribbean. It's already a reality in 2025," stated Segismundo Morey, head of ProDominicana, the Dominican Republic's Export and Investment Center.
There's a growing preference for healthy and organic products in the global market. "People are looking for healthier products that have a high nutritional value and fewer sugars," Morey stated.
Products like pitahaya have experienced exponential growth in recent years, while demand for pineapples and avocados continues to rise. However, the organic segment faces challenges: "The requirements for organic are becoming more complicated every day, which raises costs and sometimes even causes some producers to question their profitability."
Access to labor is a challenge for Dominican exporters. "Some changes in migration dynamics have raised concerns about the availability of personnel in the agricultural sector, where foreign workers have played a key role," Morey said. "The sector is following this issue closely. We seek to ensure the continuity of operations and the competitiveness of our exports while offering the best working conditions to our workforce.
Climate change is another increasingly worrying factor. "Harvest times have changed substantially," he said. The sector is being affected by more intense droughts and extreme rainfall, forcing producers to adapt to new conditions. International markets are also prioritizing food security, promoting local production to the detriment of imports.
"In certain products, such as bananas and avocados, we can't compete with other countries on volume. We compete on quality. That's why differentiation is key," Morey stressed.
We export to a wide variety of markets. Europe and the United Kingdom are the main destinations for bananas. The Caribbean, the United States, and Europe represent important destinations for other products. The Dominican Republic's agricultural export sector is best known for its bananas, pineapples, cocoa, avocado, and mango. "These are the country's agricultural sector's most iconic export products," Morey stressed.
The Caribbean is a strategic market. "It's a captive market that needs to import the vast majority of the products it consumes. It's also a market where the Dominican produce has a great reputation. In addition, its location allows for very short delivery times, a competitive advantage over competitors such as Brazil or Ecuador."
ProDominicana plays a role in the growth of the Dominican export sector. The agency works with producers in three key stages. First, it identifies and raises awareness among those who are not yet formalized, helping them to organize and structure themselves initially. It then accompanies small and medium-sized enterprises in their formalization and certification process, subsequently assessing their export capacity. Finally, it provides guidance in identifying markets and facilitates contact with international buyers.
"If someone produces avocado and wants to export to the United States, ProDominicana will liaise with distributors and buyers in that destination. We also guide them on how to access alternative markets such as the Caribbean," Morey stated.
"It's also worth noting that ProDominicana has digital tools such as the ProInteligencia platform that aims to facilitate access to important relevant statistics on exports and investment in the Dominican Republic," Morey concluded.
For more information:
Segismundo Morey
ProDominicana
Tel.: +1 (809) 530 5535 / 1 829 345 9318
Email: segismundomorey@prodominicana.gob.do
Email: servicios@prodominicana.gob.do
www.prodominicana.gob.do