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SANTO DOMINGO.- Organic bananas have become, next to cacao and coffee, the flagship of the nontraditional product exports, and has posted a record crop this year, according to Dominican Republic Export and Investment Center (CEI-RD), and Agriculture Ministry figures.

Banana exports rose by US$14.1 million in the first quarter compared with the same year ago period, from US$34.3 million to US$48.4 million, a 41.2 percent jump. The total exported weight also increased, from 90.7 million kilos to 128.1 million kilos.

Last year banana exports reached US$72.1 million, a 0.4 percent increase compared with the 2007 figure of US$71.9 million.

The United Kingdom market bought the most Dominican bananas in the first half, an increase of 15.4%, from US$25.2 million and 66.1 million kilos to US$29.1 million and 75.7 million kilos.

Dominican bananas reach 23 European and Asia nations, the United States and the Caribbean islands, including Belgium, Holland, Sweden, France, Haiti, Germany, St Martin, Norway, Japan, Italy, Canada, Switzerland, among others.

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COMMENTS
5 comment(s)
Written by: FredCDobbs This user is banned, 19 Aug 2009 8:45 AM
From: Dominican Republic, Parque Colon statue of Anacaona
Agriculture certainly is a bright spot and the future looks even brighter keep improving quality control and the sky is the limit.....Cuba with its system can only dream of this kind of productivity
Written by: Miacol, 19 Aug 2009 12:57 PM
From: United States, Teaneck, NJ
Thank you for the positive words FredCDobbs...
Written by: Sajomero, 19 Aug 2009 2:36 PM
From: United States, Del primer Santiago de America....y el mejor!!!
You are right abou that Fred. When you fly into Cuba from Miami all you can see are fallow lands, brown, degraded and very little green. DR is privilaged to have good soils in most parts and for the most part good campesinos too. What needs to be done is a 0 tariff on agricultural goods and equipments, so that farmers can implement new technologies to their centuries old methods. We also need better infrastructure for exporting our products. In many very productive areas products just rot on the trees because its just imposible to get them out to market. The roads of La Sierra are a shame, so are many in San Juan de la Maguana, Ocoa and Montecristi.
Written by: allumeuseGeneroso This user is banned, 19 Aug 2009 10:17 PM
From: Dominican Republic
You mean that Haiti buy organic bananas from DR?

Is Dominican banana under a quota system? If not, is it quality or cost that make us attractive over the African banana?
Written by: abc200, 23 Aug 2009 8:15 AM
From: United Kingdom, Dominican Republic
Bananas to Europe were under a complex quota system. However this has ended. This has proviided openings for non-traditional banana suppliers such as DR to increase exports of quality bananas that are not factory ripened. However traditional EU suppliers have had to diversify into other products.
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gl..../20080807/cleisure/cleisure4.html
S.
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