14652: Karshan: Dominican Republic exports and Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: MKarshan@aol.com

DR News 1, January 31, 2003
10. Leading Dominican exports
El Caribe reports today on the dramatic change of the composition of
Dominican exports in recent years. Fifteen years ago, the leading
Dominican exports were agricultural commodities — tobacco, cacao,
coffee and sugar. Today, the so-called non-traditional exports comprise
a robust 34 percent of exports, going from US$409.2 million in 2001 to
US$548.2 million this year. Leading Dominican exports were organic and
fresh bananas, fresh melons, organic cacao, avocados, eggs, dried
coconut, yautia coco, peppers, sweet potatoes and green beans in the
farm sector. In the manufactured product sector, beer, steel rods, rum,
cement, plastic trays, dry batteries, wine, crackers, ceramics, and
mattresses were dominant.
El Caribe reports that 2002 can be described as the year of the
consolidation of the export of non-traditional products, in which these
items superceded the so-called traditional export crops. Free zone
manufactured products, nevertheless, still account for 57 percent of
total exports.
Cedopex statistics indicate that total exports outside of the free zone
system were valued at US$862 million, for an overall 25.5 percent
increase.
The United States, Puerto Rico and Haiti buy about 70 percent of total
Dominican exports.
US imported US$360.6 million (up from US$246.5 million)
Puerto Rico US$102 million (up from US$79 million)
Haiti imported US$88.1 million (up from US$72 million).