Arturo Peguero, president of the Dominican Association of Free Zones (Adozona) told DR1 that the Dominican Republic could could benefit in the short-term somewhat from being a SARS virus-free country, as companies may considering placing more orders this side of the ocean. Scientists believe the virus spreads by contact such as touching the skin of an infected person or objects that have been contaminated by them with sneezes or coughs. Peguero says that this would be seen as a temporary situation, nevertheless, because it is expected that by 2005, these contracts will return to Asia.
?Meanwhile, on the positive side, SARS could mean that more contracts come our way, signifying a boost in prices for contractual work,? he said, forecasting an excellent 2003 and 2004 for the Dominican Republic free zone industry. ?2005, we do not yet know what will happen,? he said.
He highlighted that even before the SARS scare, apparel demand in the United States was already up 17% for the first two months of the year, which could translate to US$10 billion more this year compared to last year?s volume. He believes this will render better prices for the factories, who are working at 90-95% capacity, up from 70% last year.