The formal trade exchange between Haiti and the Dominican Republic reportedly reached US$888.33 million in 2017. More than 90% of these resources corresponded to products exported to Haiti, while 36.61%, which includes items for fishing, tobacco, as well as equipment accessories, are imported to the Dominican Republic from Haiti, according to Prensa Latina, the Cuban state news agency.
Prensa Latina reports that according to the National Statistics Office of Santo Domingo, formal trade between both nations was up 6.5% compared to 2016, however, it remains below the figures of 2015, when it reached one billion dollars. Haiti is the second most important export market for the Dominican Republic, after the United States.
However, despite these improved statistics, experts point out that the informal trade between both nations is estimated to be 1.2 billion dollars, and that Haitians mainly buy in the Dominican Republic agricultural and agro-industrial goods such as chickens, eggs, rice, beans and vegetables.
Conversely, Dominicans mainly purchase textiles, footwear and alcoholic beverages in Haiti.
As reported, the decline in trade with Haiti is due to Haiti barring the import of some 23 products by land, including wheat, flour, edible oil and cement. These products need to be imported by sea, as the government attempts to earn more in import taxes. According to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission of the Haitian Senate, the Haitian State loses annually 55 billion gourdes (US$848,508,534) on tax evasion, despite the brigades deployed in the border area to counteract the activities of smugglers.
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Prensa Latina
18 September 2018
