Dominican Republic: Dairy Report
Dominican imports of dairy products exhibited strong across-the-board growth in 2014. Substantial increases in imports were recorded for imports of butter (409%) followed by Nonfat Dry Milk (NFDM; 42.7%), Liquid Milk (22.5%), Ice Cream (21.1%), Margarine (12.8%), and Powdered Milk (6.6%). At the same time, there were decreases in the imports of Yogurt (-8.7%), Cheese/Including cheddar (- 4.3%), and Cheeses in general (-0.1%). Dominican retailers highlight market opportunities for U.S. cheese to substitute for Dutch Gouda Cheese. Tariffs and quotas for liquid milk, butter, fresh cheese, cottage cheese, molten cheese and soft cheese are eliminated beginning in 2015 and Ice Cream in 2016. Tariff and quotas for cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese will be eliminated in 2020 and 2025, respectively.
