The deputy minister of Free Zones and Special Regimes of the Ministry of Industry & Commerce, Carlos Guillermo Flaquer says the sector is booming, despite Covid-19 virus.
“The free zone sector has grown, it has reinvented itself, and proof of this is that in October they exported US$592 million, something unique, a milestone, the best October in their history since 2012,” Flaquer said on the radio program “Esto no tiene nombre” with Roberto Cavada, Miralba Ruiz and Pinky Pintor on 95.7FM.
Flaquer stressed that there has been significant growth in exports of medical devices and tobacco products to the United States, among other countries.
He said medical device manufacturers have added 1,200 employees since the start of the pandemic. Tobacco companies have 2,500 more jobs since March 2020.
Flaquer said Decree 588-20, which declared industrialization as a national priority while announcing the Free Zone Relaunch Plan, said the plan seeks to replace an economy that subsidizes imports with an economy that promotes the export of quality products made in the Dominican Republic.
He explained that one of the plan’s objectives is to create adequate conditions for micro to large companies to obtain financing for production machinery.
Flaquer revealed that the Dominican Association of Free Zones (Adozona) has reported that the free zone sector exported US$592.1 million in October, a 4.4% growth compared to October 2019.
Read more in Spanish:
N Digital
3 December 2020