Santo Domingo.- Apart from the high operational costs and disadvantages posed by Central American and Asian exports, the crisis decreases imports in the United States, where the closing of more than 7,000 stores will definitely have a negative effect on products manufactured by the Dominican industry and threaten its survival, warned Dominican Free Zones Association (Adozona) president Fernando Capellan.
For this reason, the industrialist proposed that the Government declares the promotion of exports a national priority, as part of a 10-year development plan.
He said the first effects of the global crisis are already being felt as buyers from Dominican Republic’s main trading partner have scaled back orders from the free zones. “I can assure you that Dominican free zones, the export sector in general, can still compete with the low wages our Central American competitors and the Asian countries pay, but I cannot do it base on market rates that don’t recognize and the fair and exact value of our exports.”
Capellan, speaking Thursday to mark Adozona’s twentieth anniversary, said high interest rates, aggravated by the lack of bank credit, threaten the survival of almost the entire Free Zone industry.
In the midst of the international crisis, the Adozona president said the Free Zones need Government support based on a 10-year development plan. “Without bordering on pessimism and being realistic, it’s essential to admit that we’re going through very difficult moments and that the sector’s situation is critical, for that reason would be disrespectful if I said the panorama is flattering.”
Written by: josean, 14 Nov 2008 12:14 PM
From: United States
That is a LIE our ECONOMY is recession proof!
Lie-onel and the PLD said so !
From: Dominican Republic, Cabrera, M.T.S.
Alas, such reliability on external markets (Tourism & FTZs) results in HUGE volatility. Want to change things around? well, focus on creating an internal market that will produce and consume a significant percentage of the things produced here. Also, regional integration may help... Over reliance on core countries will produce the extreme boom-bust cycles we've seen since 1996.
From: United States
ah, Baldoria, you breath of fresh air, you!! did i not preach import substitution a million times in my early posts? let me start again; fellows, in this world of today, why are supermarket shelves creaking under the weight of Dole pineapple in heavy syrup, when the Cibao valley has some of the best fruits on earth? what is with all the imported anchovies,and all the exotic things from Europe, which necessitate the outflow of foreign exchange? we have magnificent seamstresses here, yet we see all these american garments in the stores. am i to believe that in the year 2008, we cannot produce good footwear here?(remember that we are the ones who want to introduce nuclear technology) we have to reduce non-essential imports, and concentrate on what we can make ourselves. as an aside, i met a young lady who is enrolled in a local university. i asked her what she was studying, and she said "cajera professional" (professional cashier). are you serious? i then asked a friend of mine who
From: United States
lectures at the same institution if they have a course in , say, small business management. he chuckled, and replied in the negative. do we really need to occupy a space in a university teaching someone to be a cashier? do not get me wrong; it is honorable work, but is the university the place for that type of training?
From: Dominican Republic
Dread, considering the Dominican "bachillerato" tantamounts to US or Canadian 7th grade primary, well it makes sense cashiers should get their training at university level.
The scary part: doctors, dentists, lawyers etc. also get their training at the same universities.
Even scarier: politicians who become public administrators need/get no training at all.
From: United States
Water Polo, it is going to be hard to be competitive in the international arena if you are telling the truth about this. forget Canada and the USA; the english speaking caribbean has some formidable academic institutions.
From: Dominican Republic
Dread,
Every so often we get reports from all kind of credible international agencies classifying DR very low in the education area. Governement spending is nowhere near what it should be in that field, and there is little interest on their part, since there is no money to swindle in Education, unless you buy milk serum at real milk prices, feed it to the kids and get a kickback from the supplier. By the way, that one lost her job.
The most convincing evidence: in this country, schools only give one half day of tuition per working day. I don't think it is because local teachers are twice as good as the others and can teach a given subject in half the time. It's because they need the classroom and teacher for different groups on every shift.
So, you are right, DR is not nor will be competitive in the international arena for another two generations, that is if they straightened out their act today.
Written by: juanb, 14 Nov 2008 2:49 PM
From: Dominican Republic
Leonel himself, last week said in a speech, on one of his "important state visits", that a country that does not spend at least 4% of its GDP is shortchanging the education system.
THE DR SPENDS 2.39% OF ITS GDP!!!
From: United States
Well, the RD must make up its mind whether it wants to be a good neighbor & engage in free trade via leverage its strengths i.e. free trade, low wages & costs, faster shipping time (vs Asia & Central American). It must overcome weaknesses like higher startup costs (i.e. bribes), educational level, lack of ESL, power infrastructure, energy etc.
Does the RD want to be in the move drugs or be a partner in the world community? Do they want to end corruption & be more efficient in all areas of operations including RD Gov as a partner to new businesses?
Get a clue, not only citizens need clean water, power & infrastructure BUT ONGOING BUSINESSES NEED THESE SAME ITEMS! We will not protest like citizens who got shot but instead we will hedge cut our loses & expand elsewhere.
Like lower taxes promotes business so does making the RD a more optimal business environment.
Previously, in a hi price oil market & hi transpo costs we could still get cheaper goods to the US from Asia (v
From: Dominican Republic, la Romana
I would like to concentrate on the statement from the Adazona President in which he suggests that labour costs in central america and asia are lower , the interest rates in other competing countries are lower and credit there is more readily available. I do not believe that any of those staements are accurate and I would suggest that the DR has more advantages than other exporting countries and should prosper through free trade agreements.I was in london in the summer and noticed that much of the fruit was from west africa , probably delivered at aboutthe same price as could be done from RD , but the outside appearance of the fruit was much better. If you buy fruit at Jumbo , Iberia or National the fruit has many blemishes that are not acceptable for export.
So , I am wondering if the problem for the DR is not one of cheaper production and delivery costs but one of inferior management .
From: Dominican Republic, la Romana
I am also bemused at the suggestion that the alleged closing of 7000 stores in the USA will impact more heavily on Dominicanproducts than from other countries ..or is the suggestion that the closure of stores has lead to an overall decine in consumer demand for the basic items that are the mainstay of Dominican exports.
I agree with Dreadlocks that it is good if locally made products can stand along imports in the dominican shops , and again , it is very difficult to see how they could be more expensive for food and clothes ..but again it may be that the local product is inferior in quality which is a management problem
From: United States
Ricardolito, here is my two cents worth. well, maybe ten cents, because i must have said it 5 times by now. because of the nature of business arrangements in the DR, a few major players control everything, and do their level best to keep everyone else out of the marketplace. bright guys with new ideas are unwelcome, because the monopolists want all the turf for themselves. having controlled the productive space, by force and strategy, they have no incentive to either be efficient, or to produce a good product. if you do not understand what i am talking about, go eat a stick of Sosua or Rica butter. then, go buy Anchor, from new zealand. anchor is real butter; rica is axle grease. if some guy could produce a butter the quality of ancor here, the other goofballs would be shining shoes. similarly, i walked into a miniscule ice cream store one day, and there were 5 employees sitting there. a similar store in the USA would have one person, and function efficiently. the modern requirements
Written by: stefano, 14 Nov 2008 4:39 PM
From: Dominican Republic
any one can help me .i'm loocking for tee shirt's ,contenaire,possible arond san francisco de marcoris
From: United States
of productivity per person, adaptability, quality and quality control, and just plain business knowledge are completely foreign ideas. how on Gods earth can everything close down at 12 pm for siesta; that is the most productive period of the day for commerce. but, at 12.01 pm you cannot get anything done until 2pm. this is the 21st century; time to do away with old 16th century ideas.
Written by: juanb, 14 Nov 2008 5:03 PM
From: Dominican Republic
Dread:
Very simply put, the biggest problem in the DR is that here there is no difference between doing something and doing it well.
From: Dominican Republic, la Romana
I think Dreadlocks that we are saying the same thing as you are talking about the quality of DR butter comared to another country and I am talking about DR bananas and other fruit compared to other countries and juanb is right because you only have to look at the construction industry here to appreciate that they have little idea of what is a good job .
Service has never been a dominican strong point either and I assume the service by the dominicans to importing countries is no different to the service offered in Detallista, Jumbo or Plaza Lama , non existent ..
From: United States
TFISKE, might i suggest to you that you consider posting BEFORE you down the quart of rotgut whisky?
From: United States
Ricardolito, on the subject of service; i recently went to a famous hospital to visit a sick friend of mine. i was unsure which room she was in, so i went to the front information desk to inquire. the lady at the front desk started scanning the list of patients, in order to give me the answer. suddenly, a rather buxom young lady, with a really interesting color of hair ,passed by. my information lady now forgets i am there, and why. she calls over the girl to the desk, starts grilling her about the availability of the color, and, worse yet, calls over two other girls to pontificate and opine on the merits of the hue. meanwhile, i am standing there, the forgotten man, while the chattering rages on. 5 minutes later , after the girlie gaggle has long dispersed, she turns to me and asks me to repeat the name of my target, having forgotten it during her exciting episode. service is not a big issue here. as long as you do it, nobody says you need to do it well.
Written by: TFISKE, 15 Nov 2008 10:19 PM
From: Canada
Dreadlocks,
nice handle by the way!
I have just spent 2 weeks in phoenix and now 10 days in thr Miami area.
Yes there is a slow done and things are not like they once were but what i see is the average american and tourist stuffing there face in the same cheezy franchise restaurants, travelling, shopping, drinking.
Tthe majority are overweight and and show nice signs of slowing there habits!
I have yet to worry and believe al the garbage cnn and every other news group wants to feed you every day!
The hilarious part is the good news is no news and it never sells like fear and bad news!
This is what Mr Bush was the king at selling fear! I prefer to believe things are not great but will get better. It cannot be this perfect economy for ever . Wake up man there must be some responsiblilty taken by the everyday citizen! People need to accept responsibilty for there actions.
I am sick of everyone looking for I an hand out or bailout every time the xxxx up!
From: United States
TFISKE, you are very correct that Bush was the king of fear, and won his elections by convincing thepopulace that there were enemies under every rock, and only the Republicans could protect us. that strategy would not work in matters of the economy, because the public would simply say "how can you expect us to believe you will protect us, when you are the ones who took us into the mess in the first place:? trust me, TFISKE, it is really ugly right now. just wait until all the unsold inventory piles up in stores this holiday season, and durable goods retailers have no working capital. not everybody is going to get a bailout. stores are going to be dropping like flies. remember, it is the Christmas sales which keep many stores going, and the season is already upon us..and forget the fast food vendors; they will always survive. what about the more upscale restaurants, though?
Written by: TFISKE, 16 Nov 2008 10:00 AM
From: Canada
Dreadlocks,
I agree stores will close yes and things will get a little worse before better.
But some stores are going to benefit from this also
The Home Depots, Lowes and, Costco have had crazy growth it cannot continue for ever!
The strong survive the weak close!
Why GM and the Big 3 stuggle is all these union and benefits they must pay is crazy
Should you really make 25,35 an hr to build a car come on
No wonder they cannot compete
Go bankrupt and come back leaner and meaner rather than piss away all the goverment money and then go broke.
This will all turn back its only a matter of time it always does
see ya
ps there are alot of people making big money in the stock market these days we are just not hearing about it
Written by: josean, 16 Nov 2008 10:03 AM
From: United States
Boy do people listen to Larry Kudlow's nonsense!
From: United States
actually, TFISKE is right on the bankruptcy issue. GM cannot operate in the face of all the legacy costs like the pension system, health care, and salaries. it costs them 2000 dollars more to make a car which is comparable to an import. Ford tried making econoboxes to compete with the Japanese, and quit. the only problem is this "would you buy a car from a bankrupt company"?
Written by: TFISKE, 16 Nov 2008 7:28 PM
From: Canada
Dreadlocks,
If the price was right I would buy a car from even you! ha ha
I was looking at new properties north of stuart florida that have been reduced 100,000plus
Alot of people were out looking and the builder has more land and is planning new projects construction costs are down he has been building 30yrs. The real estate agent thinks we are at the bottom regarding pricing lets hope so. How can you buy anthing well built for less than 80bucks a sq ft .
Somebody is going to make money in these conditions if they are patient!
In the depression of the thirties many millionaires came from it and it will happen again
From: United States
no doubt, TFISKE. as reader Escott always reminds us, there is money to be made when there is blood in the streets. but imprudence will be the undoing of many people,and countries. people like Leonel will realise that you cannot just pee money away on dimwitted ideas like the Metro. sadly, whether or not people realise it, we are going to be in for some rough times ahead, because all economies today have some degree of linkage.
Written by: josean, 16 Nov 2008 11:22 PM
From: United States
Written by: josean, 17 Nov 2008 12:10 AM
From: United States
TFISKE,
I am curious, you just study economics and skipped spelling, right?
Written by: TFISKE, 17 Nov 2008 12:18 AM
From: Canada
Josean,
I get my secretary to type! I prefer to enjoy my sarcastic ways and type how I feel,
Plus when i have to tak to a moron who loves nothing and thinks the world is over who gives a xxxx.
My guess is your a teacher who has coupons in the truck and is scared obama might make you pay for something! Are you made is the bank been calling and wishing they never gave you that loan..
You want to be bailed out 2!
Written by: josean, 17 Nov 2008 12:21 AM
From: United States
It appears that as the night goes on your spelling gets worse or you are actually creating a new language!
Written by: abc200, 17 Nov 2008 1:55 PM
From: United Kingdom
Yes, DR could introduce emergency 50% tax on all non-essential imports. Perhaps 100% on luxury imports. This would encourage local productionn. Also get together with other cocoa, coffee producers to plan production and raise prices.
S.
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Lie-onel and the PLD said so !
The scary part: doctors, dentists, lawyers etc. also get their training at the same universities.
Even scarier: politicians who become public administrators need/get no training at all.
Every so often we get reports from all kind of credible international agencies classifying DR very low in the education area. Governement spending is nowhere near what it should be in that field, and there is little interest on their part, since there is no money to swindle in Education, unless you buy milk serum at real milk prices, feed it to the kids and get a kickback from the supplier. By the way, that one lost her job.
The most convincing evidence: in this country, schools only give one half day of tuition per working day. I don't think it is because local teachers are twice as good as the others and can teach a given subject in half the time. It's because they need the classroom and teacher for different groups on every shift.
So, you are right, DR is not nor will be competitive in the international arena for another two generations, that is if they straightened out their act today.
THE DR SPENDS 2.39% OF ITS GDP!!!
Does the RD want to be in the move drugs or be a partner in the world community? Do they want to end corruption & be more efficient in all areas of operations including RD Gov as a partner to new businesses?
Get a clue, not only citizens need clean water, power & infrastructure BUT ONGOING BUSINESSES NEED THESE SAME ITEMS! We will not protest like citizens who got shot but instead we will hedge cut our loses & expand elsewhere.
Like lower taxes promotes business so does making the RD a more optimal business environment.
Previously, in a hi price oil market & hi transpo costs we could still get cheaper goods to the US from Asia (v
So , I am wondering if the problem for the DR is not one of cheaper production and delivery costs but one of inferior management .
I agree with Dreadlocks that it is good if locally made products can stand along imports in the dominican shops , and again , it is very difficult to see how they could be more expensive for food and clothes ..but again it may be that the local product is inferior in quality which is a management problem
Very simply put, the biggest problem in the DR is that here there is no difference between doing something and doing it well.
Service has never been a dominican strong point either and I assume the service by the dominicans to importing countries is no different to the service offered in Detallista, Jumbo or Plaza Lama , non existent ..
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3TAh1gy6rc&feature=related
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09oi0g_OKF4&feature=related
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja9YlQ2wXnM&feature=related
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqSjJ0Q5eTc&feature=related
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJCJ1w60Ivc&feature=related
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTgo_UOnu0E&feature=related
7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1jBTGOJFh4&feature=related
nice handle by the way!
I have just spent 2 weeks in phoenix and now 10 days in thr Miami area.
Yes there is a slow done and things are not like they once were but what i see is the average american and tourist stuffing there face in the same cheezy franchise restaurants, travelling, shopping, drinking.
Tthe majority are overweight and and show nice signs of slowing there habits!
I have yet to worry and believe al the garbage cnn and every other news group wants to feed you every day!
The hilarious part is the good news is no news and it never sells like fear and bad news!
This is what Mr Bush was the king at selling fear! I prefer to believe things are not great but will get better. It cannot be this perfect economy for ever . Wake up man there must be some responsiblilty taken by the everyday citizen! People need to accept responsibilty for there actions.
I am sick of everyone looking for I an hand out or bailout every time the xxxx up!
I agree stores will close yes and things will get a little worse before better.
But some stores are going to benefit from this also
The Home Depots, Lowes and, Costco have had crazy growth it cannot continue for ever!
The strong survive the weak close!
Why GM and the Big 3 stuggle is all these union and benefits they must pay is crazy
Should you really make 25,35 an hr to build a car come on
No wonder they cannot compete
Go bankrupt and come back leaner and meaner rather than piss away all the goverment money and then go broke.
This will all turn back its only a matter of time it always does
see ya
ps there are alot of people making big money in the stock market these days we are just not hearing about it
If the price was right I would buy a car from even you! ha ha
I was looking at new properties north of stuart florida that have been reduced 100,000plus
Alot of people were out looking and the builder has more land and is planning new projects construction costs are down he has been building 30yrs. The real estate agent thinks we are at the bottom regarding pricing lets hope so. How can you buy anthing well built for less than 80bucks a sq ft .
Somebody is going to make money in these conditions if they are patient!
In the depression of the thirties many millionaires came from it and it will happen again
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72cHfOKoA1c&eurl
I am curious, you just study economics and skipped spelling, right?
I get my secretary to type! I prefer to enjoy my sarcastic ways and type how I feel,
Plus when i have to tak to a moron who loves nothing and thinks the world is over who gives a xxxx.
My guess is your a teacher who has coupons in the truck and is scared obama might make you pay for something! Are you made is the bank been calling and wishing they never gave you that loan..
You want to be bailed out 2!
S.