Forest cultivation in the Dominican Republic has grown 7.9% in the first six months of this year, compared to the same period in 2003, according to Central Bank data. As reported in the Listin Diario, these numbers are great, when taking into account the fact that annual demand for wood normally grows by a much lesser 2.5%. According to the Dominican Forestry Chamber, local wood suppliers produce approximately US$11 million in forest products annually, part of which goods are exported, while the rest is destined for the local market.
Despite the incentive efforts of the past four governments, the DR imports US$200 million worth of wood every year, the majority of which could be produced in the country. National agroforestry companies currently supply only 12% of what is needed locally.
The United Nations Organization for Alimentation and Agriculture (FAO) maintains that the DR possesses the ideal conditions to develop its forestry industry and take advantage of a burgeoning market that will continue to expand by an annual rate of at least 2.5% for the next 60 years.
In the last three years, forestry industrialists have planted approximately 350,000 tareas (approximately 220 million square meters) of trees, something that once seemed an impossibility for the DR. There still remain 2.5 million tareas (approximately 1.5 billion square meters) of unused or underused forest land. According to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, this land should become part of the forestry production program.
For more see: http://www.listin.com.do/cuerpos/dinero/din6.htm