Agriculture sector reaps the rewards
A MOVE INTO ORGANIC FARMING HAS PAID DIVIDENDS FOR DOMINICAN FARMERS AS U.S. AND EUROPEAN DEMAND FOR LOCALLY-GROWN PRODUCE MULTIPLIES

Almost 300 brand new greenhouses are being built in the Dominican Republic to provide some 1.5 million square meters of growing space for out-of-season fruits and vegetables for export to regional markets and beyond. And this is just one project set in motion by the administration of President Hipolito Mejia to transform the country’s agriculture sector and increase exports to boost foreign exchange earnings.

ELIGIO JAQUEZ Secretary of State for Agriculture

At the head of these efforts is Secretary of State for Agriculture Eligio Jaquez, a former executive with giant U.S. food processor Tyson who knows international markets well. Having completed just over a year in the post, the secretary has further ambitious plans to meet the demands of consumers and benefit the Dominican farmer at the same time.
“One of our problems in the past has been that customers want a fruit or vegetable in the season when we cannot produce it,” he explains. “Americans have always preferred to buy our products because we’re close and the goods are fresh. But we sometimes couldn’t produce the required quality and quantity at the right moment. That’s now changing.”
Other projects include the construction of giant refrigerated warehouses in the capital Santo Domingo, to store agriculture products for shipment, and a program to dramatically increase irrigation schemes in rural areas so farmers can be assured of a reliable and sufficient supply of water for their crops.

RICH PICKINGS Proximity to the U.S. ensures freshness.

Agriculture accounts for around 10% of the Dominican Republic’s GDP and employs some 20% of the population. Traditional crops include coffee, tobacco, cane sugar, rice and cacao. While the government wants to ensure that markets for those products thrive, they are also trying to introduce new fruits and vegetables that can be exported for hard currency. The secretary argues that with a little training, technical support and advice, any Dominican farmer can improve his life through producing traditional crops or those aimed at capturing new customers.
“Little by little we’ve been promoting the planting of new crops which are in big demand overseas, such as bananas, mangoes and avocados,” Mr. Jaquez says, pointing out that Europe is a big customer for the country’s organic crops.
“In the past, our farmers could never afford chemical fertilizers and pesticides and so learned very well how to grow things organically. Today, the Dominican Republic is the world leader in organic bananas and the third biggest exporter of organic avocados. Last year, we sold 10,000 tons of organic cacao and could sell up to 30,000 tons this year.”
Each year, Dominican farmers also grow $40 million worth of oriental vegetables for the American market, some of which are cultivated organically.

THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC’S uniquely rich soil composition enables farmers to grow an endless variety of produce.

“Due to the minerals in the soil in the south of the country, we produce mangoes with an incredible taste which can only be matched by mangoes grown on the banks of the Nile River in Egypt. We plan to increase production of this fruit for the export market,” he says.
Soon, Mr. Jaquez hopes to begin exporting Dominican-produced chickens and other meat products to the United States.
The secretary has a well-
educated staff to help him with all these ambitious plans. There are 26 employees in the department with PhDs from U.S., Canadian, British and French universities. “If, for example, I mention we need to find a species of banana resistant to a certain disease, they’ll tell me we have to go to Costa Rica where just such a banana exists,” he says.
Much of these programs are financed through outside sources. The government of Taiwan has granted $10 million towards the country’s agricultural development and the Inter-American Development Bank has earmarked $50 million for aiding poorer farming regions around the country. Loans are also secured from European banks.
“Within three years all the countries in the world are going to have to do away with trade barriers and there’ll be true economic globalization,” the secretary says. “We’re conscious of this challenge and would like to invite foreign investors to come to the Dominican Republic with our rich soil, water and hard-working people and take advantage of this opportunity.”