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The United States is a major trading partner with the Dominican Republic (DR). The DR is the largest economy in the Caribbean and the seventh-largest economy in Latin America. Since the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) went into effect for the DR in 2007, U.S. agricultural exports to the DR have increased from $1 billion in 2007 to $2 billion in 2024.

In 2025, beginning inventories and beef production declined due to the increased pace of slaughter in 2024. Beef consumption remains weak due to inflation, with a shift toward less expensive proteins such as pork.

FAS/Tokyo forecasts cattle inventory expands in 2025 on greater cow beginning stocks and a moderate pace of slaughtering from 2024.

The 2023 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook provides a statistical summary of U.S. agricultural commodity exports to the world during the 2023 calendar year.

FAS/Tokyo projects Japan’s beef production in 2024 will be almost flat from 2023 because fewer cows will be culled now that milk production has dropped enough to match demand.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and Food Supply of Brazil (MAPA) announced the opening of the Dominican Republic market for pork and beef products on August 9, 2023.

FAS/Tokyo forecasts a drop in 2024 cattle inventory on greater slaughtering of dairy cows, slower calf production, and no live cattle imports in 2023 and 2024.

In April 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) implemented a special measure under the Compound Feed Price Stabilization System to augment feed compensation payments to livestock, poultry, and swine producers.

The U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement (USJTA) entered Year 5 of the agreement implementation on April 1, 2023.

The 2022 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook provides a statistical summary of U.S. agricultural commodity exports to the world during the 2022 calendar year.

Cattle stocks decline in 2023 as farmers thin dairy herds to counter surplus production capacity. The resulting increase in domestic beef production will lower demand for imports in 2023.

Japan has a well-developed food retail market that demands high-quality, high-value agricultural and food products. Despite reduced economic activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, trade data show that agricultural imports have remained resilient.