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2002 can be described as the year of the consolidation of the export of non-traditional products, in which these items superceded the so-called traditional export crops.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).
