The Dominican Republic is a leading regional cacao producer and exporter. The challenge ahead is to increase local consumption and export more finished products, a report in El Dia reveals.
Meanwhile, stimulated by rising international prices, cacao exports have experienced a significant increase in revenues for their crops. From January to May 2025, raw cacao and cacao byproduct exports reached US$128.98 million, marking a 56.48% increase compared to the same period in 2024, when exports totaled US$82.43 million, according to the Customs Agency (DGA), as reported in El Dia.
This surge helped consolidate cacao as the country’s second most exported product under the national trade regime, contributing to an overall export total of US$5.64 billion—an 8.62% year-on-year growth.
Data from ProDominicana, the national export center, presents an even more optimistic figure: US$247.7 million in cocoa-related exports, representing a 76.6% year-on-year increase.
Between January and May, 26 exporters from six provinces shipped Dominican cocoa to 18 international markets, with the United States, Belgium, and the Netherlands ranking as top destinations.
Low domestic consumption, high global demand
Despite producing nearly 80,000 tons of cacao annually, the Dominican Republic consumes just 5% of its output domestically—around 4,000 tons, according to Isidoro de La Rosa, executive director of the National Confederation of Cacao Producers (Conacado).
“The remaining 95% is exported, mostly in raw form,” said De La Rosa in an interview with El Día. Only 5% of exports consist of semi-processed or derived products. Roughly half of all exports go to European markets, while the other half heads to the US and other countries.
In 2024, the country exported 66,000 tons of cacao, generating around US$425 million in revenue.
De La Rosa also highlighted rising prices. A quintal of cacao (approximately 46 kg) now fetches RD$23,000, up significantly from RD$15,000 to RD$16,000 last year, and far above the RD$7,000 to RD$10,000 range seen in previous years.
The next challenge is to add value
While the Dominican Republic has registered 42,000 cacao producers, only a small portion of these are involved in value-added processing. De La Rosa emphasized that to truly strengthen the sector and reduce dependency on raw exports, the country needs to invest approximately US$50 million in industrial infrastructure.
He also called for initiatives to boost domestic consumption, citing a need to revive cultural habits such as drinking hot chocolate in the morning—a common practice in the past but one that has largely faded.
“A structured plan is needed to foster a cacao-consuming culture among Dominicans,” he urged.
As global demand continues to rise and prices climb, stakeholders see an opportunity not only for economic growth through exports but also for building a stronger, more resilient cacao industry at home.
Meanwhile, the times are good. Diario Libre reports how cacao is living golden age with high prices on global markets.
Read more in Spanish:
El Dia
Diario Libre
25 June 2025