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NewsWhore
09-01-2009, 05:30 PM
The strong influence of Dominicans abroad is shaping exports. Ricardo Koenig, president of the Dominican Association of Exporters (Adoexpo) said that there is primarily a growth of what he described as "nostalgia" exports. He said that in the Center for Export and Investment (CEI-RD) list of 3,089 different items exported, there are over 2,000 of these nostalgia products that have a connotation of home for Dominicans abroad.
Some of these products generate under US$100,000 in exports a year. Koenig says that Adoexpo has a project with the support of the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) to back the development of small agroindustrial producers. He sees a future in the export of avocados, mangos, fresh flowers, green plants, tomato, cucumbers, peppers, yuca, plantains, bananas, yautia, papaya, coconuts, mangos and eggplant.
Koenig complained, nevertheless, that conditions are adverse here to export. He said that while in economies similar to ours, governments take measures to stimulate production and exports, the contrary occurs here. He said that he hopes to meet with the President to again propose actions that need to be taken, because nothing that had been promised during the summit meetings of the beginning of the year has been met.
Yesterday, Diario Libre had reported that the DR export list included 3,089 different items, a far cry from the cash crop exports of coffee, sugar and cacao of the 70s.
According to the Dominican Export and Investment Center (CEI-RD), 54 products produced more than US$20 million. Among these are cigars, rum, organic bananas, avocados, mangos, beer, steel re-bar, scrap iron, telephone parts, dialysis equipment, circuit breakers, electricity meters, fire and theft alarms, bras, men's shoes with leather uppers, for a widespread variety of exportable goods. Exports were US$5.6 billion last year to a wide diversity of markets. Exports, despite their potential, are declining. Koenig blames adverse conditions at home. He called for better financial conditions from local banks. He said exports were down 36% in 2009, or about US$600 million.

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