The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Dominican Association of Exporters (Adoexpo) and the Center for Exports and Investment of the Dominican Republic (CEI-RD) presented the results of the report “The Dominican Republic: Promoting Exports to Improve the Quality of Life” during Dominicana Exporta. The event brought together the public and private sector for the relaunching of the export sector.
Present were Administrative Minister of the Presidency José Ramon Peralta and Minister of Industry and Commerce Nelson Toca Simo, as well as the representative of the IDB Flora Montealegre, and the president of Adoexpo Álvaro Sousa Sevilla.
The report prepared by the IDB says exports could increase by as much as 50%, converting this sector into one of the prime movers of economic growth and employment in the Dominican Republic. The report focuses on the weak linkages of the successful export free zones with the local market. Central Bank statistics indicate that free zones purchase only 7% of their materials from local suppliers.
The report points that in order to take advantage of these opportunities, it is necessary to carry out a strategic re-focusing regarding the promotion of exports. This would begin with the transformation of the CEI-RD into a professional agency that is proactive in assisting national producers, something that is now underway.
Luis Henry Molina, director of CEI-RD said: “To make this vision a reality and to better assist exporters, it is essential to improve the capacity of CEI-RD to carry out its basic role as an agency specialized in information, promotion and follow up for exporters in new markets.”
Alvaro Sosa Sevilla, the president of Adoexpo, stressed that the export sector seeks to “promote the benefits and importance of international business,” while at the same time promoting the attributes of the Dominican Republic and trying to get more entrepreneurs to export and encourage direct foreign investments, especially in areas that generate exports.
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Hoy
El Dia
Diario Libre
13 July 2017
