NewsWhore
03-26-2012, 05:00 PM
President Leonel Fernandez is encouraging Dominican and French businesspeople to turn the DR into a logistics-marketing operation center for the marketing of French and Dominican products marketing into the Caribbean, Central America, the United States and European Union, countries with which the DR has signed free trade agreements.
Speaking at the French-Dominican Forum during French Week held at Casa de Campo on Friday, 23 March, Minister of Industry and Commerce Manuel Garcia Arevalo called for policies that promote increased business with the Caribbean, France and the European Union, with which the DR maintains the European Partnership Agreement (EPA).
"The EPA also provides us with the opportunity to supply demands of the tourism industry and population of French overseas territories in the Caribbean, given the geographic proximity," said Garcia Arevalo. This would counteract the decline in Dominican exports to France, which have fallen by 45% over the past four years, from US$73 million in 2007 to US$40 million in 2011. The best year was US$97 million in 2009. Garcia Arevalo said that on the other hand, imports were up over the same 2007-2011 period, by 21%, going from US$109 million to US$132 million, as reported in Listin Diario.
Businessman Nicolas Brehm highlighted the opportunities for working with French Guiana wood. He encouraged Dominicans to seek alliances with businesspeople there for exchanges in technological areas. He said that French Guiana had accumulated a great deal of experience in ecotourism, telemedicine, and scientific research.
Ligia Bonetti, the president of the DR Association of Industries (AIRD), said that the free trade agreements have spurred improvements in national companies. She said that 10 years ago, no more than 5% of companies had ISO 9000 quality management standards certification and today 40% have been certified. Moreover, she said that there is now a need to focus on policies that stimulate exports to improve the nation's current trade balance deficit. Bonetti announced that a five-year plan covering proposals for the nation's trade policies, training needs, infrastructure for imports and exports and financing for industrial sector would be discussed during an upcoming manufacturing congress.
Speaking at the event, Manuel Diez warned against minimizing the importance of strong institutions in the DR as a basis for achieving better results from trade agreements. Franklin Lithgow, director of investments of the Center of Export and Investments (CEI-RD), speaking for the government called for strengthening relations with Haiti, the country's second largest trade partner after the United States. He said that since 2004 exports have grown from US$78.5 million to an estimated US$1 billion in 2011. He said the DR has great opportunities in the construction sector in Haiti, where there is a housing shortage of more than two million units.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)
Speaking at the French-Dominican Forum during French Week held at Casa de Campo on Friday, 23 March, Minister of Industry and Commerce Manuel Garcia Arevalo called for policies that promote increased business with the Caribbean, France and the European Union, with which the DR maintains the European Partnership Agreement (EPA).
"The EPA also provides us with the opportunity to supply demands of the tourism industry and population of French overseas territories in the Caribbean, given the geographic proximity," said Garcia Arevalo. This would counteract the decline in Dominican exports to France, which have fallen by 45% over the past four years, from US$73 million in 2007 to US$40 million in 2011. The best year was US$97 million in 2009. Garcia Arevalo said that on the other hand, imports were up over the same 2007-2011 period, by 21%, going from US$109 million to US$132 million, as reported in Listin Diario.
Businessman Nicolas Brehm highlighted the opportunities for working with French Guiana wood. He encouraged Dominicans to seek alliances with businesspeople there for exchanges in technological areas. He said that French Guiana had accumulated a great deal of experience in ecotourism, telemedicine, and scientific research.
Ligia Bonetti, the president of the DR Association of Industries (AIRD), said that the free trade agreements have spurred improvements in national companies. She said that 10 years ago, no more than 5% of companies had ISO 9000 quality management standards certification and today 40% have been certified. Moreover, she said that there is now a need to focus on policies that stimulate exports to improve the nation's current trade balance deficit. Bonetti announced that a five-year plan covering proposals for the nation's trade policies, training needs, infrastructure for imports and exports and financing for industrial sector would be discussed during an upcoming manufacturing congress.
Speaking at the event, Manuel Diez warned against minimizing the importance of strong institutions in the DR as a basis for achieving better results from trade agreements. Franklin Lithgow, director of investments of the Center of Export and Investments (CEI-RD), speaking for the government called for strengthening relations with Haiti, the country's second largest trade partner after the United States. He said that since 2004 exports have grown from US$78.5 million to an estimated US$1 billion in 2011. He said the DR has great opportunities in the construction sector in Haiti, where there is a housing shortage of more than two million units.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)