Browse Data and Analysis

Wheat consumption in the Dominican Republic (DR) during marketing year (MY) 2023/24 (July 2023/ June 2024) is forecast at 460,000 metric tons (MT), up two percent from MY 2022/23. Dominican wheat imports are forecast at 622,000 MT, a two percent increase from the last forecast due to manufacturers’ international expansion plans as well as expected population and hotel, restaurant and institutional (HRI) sector growth.

In marketing year (MY) 2023/24, Post forecasts wheat area harvested will reach 215,000 hectares (ha) and production will total 1.32 million metric tons (MMT), unchanged from MY 2022/23 as production was limited by the high costs of inputs.

The Dominican Republic´s food processing industry was valued at $4.3 billion during calendar year (CY) 2022 in activities categorized as “food industry” with an additional $1.1 billion for processed beverages and other products over the same period.

The wine production area in Chile spans from the Atacama to Araucania region, with vineyards scattered up and down the regions’ valleys. Chilean area planted for wine totaled 130,086 hectares in 2021.

In February, wildfires ravaged central Chile throughout the the Maule, Biobio, Ñuble, and Araucania regions. The fires expanded quickly due to high temperatures and windy conditions, causing loss of lives, destruction of homes, and damage to basic infrastructure.

The Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR)[1] region and Panama combine to represent the seventh-largest market for U.S consumer-oriented products, totaling $3.7 billion in 2022.

U.S. agricultural exports to the Dominican Republic reached an all-time record of $2.2 billion in 2022; a 14 percent increase from the previous record set last year. The increase in U.S. exports was driven mainly by increased demand for consumer-oriented products.

In 2021, the Chilean economy grew by 11.7 percent. Government support programs increased disposable income for many consumers, putting upward pressure on consumption of beef, pork, and chicken.

After a nearly six percent decrease in GDP in 2020, the Chilean economy grew by 11.7 percent in 2021 and by 2.4 percent in 2022. In 2023, the Chilean Central Bank projects a contraction in GDP that will range between 0.75 and 1.75 percent.

The economy of the Dominican Republic, which is the third-largest market for U.S. consumer-oriented products in the Western Hemisphere and the 15th globally for agricultural and related products, has bounced back due to the opening of the tourism, hotel, and restaurant sectors. During the first 10 months of 2022, the demand for consumer-oriented products increased over 20 percent from the same period last year.

On September 29, 2021, the General Directorate of Internal Tax (DGII) of the Dominican Republic (DR) issued Regulation 07-21 implementing the Fiscal Control and Traceability System for Alcoholic Beverages and Cigars (TRAFICO) to tackle illicit trade and tax evasion in the alcoholic beverage and cigarette sectors.

Blueberry area planted went from around 7,000 hectares (ha) in marketing year (MY) 2010/11 to over 18,000 ha in MY 2021/22. The United States is the top market for Chilean fresh and frozen blueberries, receiving more than half of the Chilean export volume.