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Santo Domingo.- Biviana Riveiro Disla, executive director of the Center for Export and Investment of the Dominican Republic (ProDominicana), announced a solid growth in merchandise exports, which grew by 18.3% in August, reaching a record value of US$1,119.7 million. This achievement is the result of more than 240 promotional activities carried out in more than 50 countries during the last four years, with the aim of discovering new business opportunities and managing potential risks in accordance with the National Export Promotion Plan (PNFE).
Riveiro highlighted the resilience of Dominican exports, which have continued to thrive despite challenges such as the socioeconomic crisis in Haiti, geopolitical tensions and changes in monetary policies. It is worth noting that Dominican exports have set records for five consecutive months in 2024, exporting US$287.3 million more in August than in the same month in 2019, prior to the pandemic.
From January to August 2024, total exports reached US$8,611.4 million, reflecting a year-on-year growth rate of 6.1% compared to 2023 and an increase of 30.6% over the same period in 2019. The United States remained the most important market, with a significant increase of US$381.7 million over 2023. Other notable markets were India, China, and the Netherlands, each of which showed substantial growth.
The agricultural sector led export growth, with cocoa registering the largest increase at US$166.0 million (up 95.8% year-on-year), followed by raw gold and medical instruments. Additionally, exports under the free trade zone regime grew by 7.8%, representing 67.2% of total exports from January to August 2024.