USDA Trade Mission to Expand Agricultural Exports in the Dominican Republic

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2025 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture will lead a high-impact trade mission to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from July 13–17 to expand market access and boost U.S. agricultural exports. The delegation includes 47 agribusinesses, trade organizations, and officials from Colorado, Montana, and Wisconsin departments of agriculture. 

“USDA is committed to growing export opportunities for American farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses,” said Deputy Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Michelle Bekkering, who will lead the mission. “This trade mission will connect U.S. exporters with key buyers, tapping into Latin America’s growing demand for high-quality American agricultural products, supporting rural prosperity and keeping American agricultural products globally competitive.”

With an expanding middle class, economic growth and a burgeoning hotel and restaurant industry, the Dominican Republic offers U.S. producers a stable and sustainable market in the Caribbean Basin. The country is the fourth-largest market for U.S. agricultural exports in the Western Hemisphere and the top market within the Central America Free Trade Agreement-Dominican Republic (CAFTA-DR) region, which includes Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Thanks to CAFTA-DR, U.S. exports to the Dominican Republic have increased from $800 million in 2007 to $2.2 billion in 2024, with the U.S. currently supplying 44 percent of the country’s agricultural imports, supporting around 15,000 American jobs. Between 2023 and 2024 alone, exports increased 6 percent.

Participants will meet with buyers from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica to gain market insights and forge new partnerships. USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service staff and regional experts will provide in-depth market briefings, site visits and networking events to maximize trade opportunities. 

Other participants include:

1. Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute – Juneau, Alaska
2. Boston Agrex LLC – Norwell, Mass.
3. California Dairies – Visalia, Calif. 
4. California Table Grape Commission – Fresno, Calif.
5. Colorado Department of Agriculture – Broomfield, Colo.
6. Darigold Inc – Seattle, Wash. 
7. DoVen Foods LLC – Miami, Fla.
8. Foodlink Group Inc. – Miami, Fla.
9. Globex International – New York, N.Y.
10. Grand Napa Vineyards - Napa, Calif.
11. Hoogwegt U.S. Inc. – Lake Forest, Ill. 
12. IslandJon North America LLC – Atlanta, Ga.
13. James Farrell & Co. – Bellevue, Wash. 
14. Lamex Agrifoods Inc. – Miami, Fla.
15. Lawrence Wholesale LLC – Vernon, Calif.
16. Leprino – Denver, Colo. 
17. Little Toad Creek LLC - Silver City, N.M.
18. MacDonald Meat Company - Seattle, Wash. 
19. Merus LLC – Minneapolis, Minn.
20. Metafoods LLC – Atlanta, Ga.
21. Old Fashioned Cheese – Mayville, Wis. 
22. Pangea Growers Group – Boca Raton, Fla.
23. Portal Pacific US – Rocklin, Calif.
24. Prime International LLC – Logan, Utah
25. Riceland – Stuttgart, Ark.
26. Salt River Sisters – Harrodsburg, Ky.
27. Scout & Zoe’s – Anderson, Ind.
28. Scratch Food Group – Atlanta, Ga.
29. SMAA Food Exports LLC – Charlotte, N.C.
30. Stewco Farms – Bloomfield, Mo.
31. Supreme Rice – Crowley, La.
32. Sure Good Foods USA – Atlanta, Ga.
33. Talmera USA Inc. – Los Angeles, Calif.
34. Tropical Foods LLC – Miami, Fla. 
35. Trutana Foods – Great Falls, Mont.
36. U.S. Dairy Export Council – Arlington, Va. 
37. U.S. Grains Council – Washington, D.C. 
38. U.S. Soybean Export Council – Chesterfield, Mo
39. US Agricom Inc. – Doral, Fla.
40. US Commodity Food Sales LLC– Doral, Fla.
41. US Dry Bean Council – Frankenmuth, Mich. 
42. US Rice Producers Association – Katy, Texas 
43. USA Rice – Arlington, Va. 
44. Washington Apple Commission - Wenatchee, Wash.
45. Western United States Agriculture Trade Association – Vancouver, Wash. 
46. Wisoman Foods Inc. – Hayward, Calif.
47. Wonderful Citrus - Delano, Calif.

USDA’s trade mission to the Dominican Republic is part of USDA’s broader 2025 export promotion strategy. So far this year, USDA has led trade missions to Hong Kong, Thailand, Peru, and Guatemala. Missions to Taiwan and Mexico are planned in the coming months.

For more information on USDA trade missions, visit https://www.fas.usda.gov/topics/trade-missions.  

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