Spanish
The fair, which will take place from Wednesday, May 28th to Saturday, May 31st at the Convention Center of the Dominican Fiesta Hotel & Casino, in Santo Domingo, brings together international buyers, Dominican exporters, representatives of the national productive sector, and public and private institutions linked to trade and agribusiness.
Taking the floor, the Minister of the Presidency, Ignacio Paliza, stated that strengthening the agricultural sector has been a priority since the first day of government. "We have achieved this through concrete actions: along this path, we have promoted the National Plan for the Promotion of Exports 2020–2030, promoting financing programs and technical support, and enabling market intelligence tools so that our producers can compete with more information and competitive advantages," he indicated.
He assured that the government will continue to promote public policies that generate added value to stimulate innovation and make the agro-industry an increasingly competitive exporting force.In that context, the executive director of ProDominicana, Biviana Riveiro Disla, highlighted that the total merchandise exports from the Dominican Republic reached a historic record in the first four months of 2025, with a value of US$4,259.7 million, representing a year-on-year growth of 7.1% and an increase of 35.9% compared to 2019, the pre-pandemic year.
Regarding the agricultural sector, Riveiro pointed out that in the first four months of 2025, these exports reached a record of US$1,115.7 million, with a year-on-year growth of 11.4%, which constitutes a historical milestone for this important sector of the national economy. In these four months, agricultural products were exported through 316 tariff lines to 140 international markets.
Also, in 2024, Dominican exports from the agricultural sector reached a historic milestone, with a record of US$3,273.5 million, representing a year-on-year growth of 17.7%. Among the agricultural sectors most notable for their export value are tobacco and its substitutes, with US$1,340.4 million; cocoa and its preparations, with US$464.3 million; edible fruits, with US$342.3 million; and vegetables and legumes, with a total of US$94.1 million.
The main destinations for these exports were the United States, with a value of US$1,601.9 million; Haiti, with US$273.5 million; the Netherlands, with US$185.5 million; Puerto Rico, with US$165.9 million; and Spain, with US$107.1 million.
The president of the Dominican Agribusiness Board (JAD), Roberto Serrano, stated that Agroalimentaria is the main professional fair dedicated to the promotion of agricultural and agro-industrial exports from the Dominican Republic. Likewise, he maintained that Agroalimentaria is perhaps the best example of Public-Private Partnerships that we can showcase in the country.
He pointed out that the joint effort of the National Government, headed by ProDominicana, and private entities, led by the Agro-business Board, have shown the country, for almost 20 years, that "when there's a will, there's a way".“With the Agroalimentaria Technical Conferences, we have learned the rules of the game of international trade, and we have discussed here, the regulations established in the countries of our buyers. In addition, the Gastronomic Festival has allowed us to know the secrets that make Dominican Cuisine a mixture of extraordinary flavors that captivate nationals and foreigners,” said Serrano.
