DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Introduction

Contemporary ideas of organic production were introduced into the Dominican Republic in the early 1980s, but it was not until the mid 1990s that production expanded. Organic production is now an important component of the agricultural sector. In 1999 organic produce was estimated to contribute about 20 percent of total agricultural exports with a value of US$9.6 million. In 2000, the value of organic exports had doubled to US$20.9 million. The Dominican Republic is currently one of the leading exporters of tropical organic products globally. Much of the information on organic production is either documented in grey literature or is still undocumented. Organic production in the country is clearly dominated by bananas which account for about 80 percent of all organic exports.

1. History of the organic sector in the Dominican Republic

1.1 Origins and pioneers

The modern era of organic production in the Dominican Republic dates back to 1982. Mark Freedman established the first demonstration plot in Rio Limpio, Loma de Cabrera and this was later to form the basis for the Regional Centre for the study of new alternatives for Rural Areas (Centro Regional de Estudios de Alternativas Rurales (CREAR). During this initial phase 1980-95, several other institutions were also involved in capacity building, notably: Centre for Sustainable Agriculture with Appropriate Technology (Centro de Agricultura Sostenible con Tecnología Apropiada-CASTA) in Villa Altagracia, Centre for Agriculture with Appropriate Technology for the Community (Centro de Agricultura con Tecnología Apropiada para la Comunidad - CAOTACO) in los Indios de Dajabon and Farmer School for Sustainable Agriculture (Escuela Campesina de Agricultura Sostenible - ECAS) in Apolinar Perdomo de Neyba. Some of this early history is documented by Ornes (1987).

Plantaciones Tropicales carried out the first commercial exports of organic produce in 1989. These comprised mainly export of bananas to Europe and to the United States. Subsequently they exported cocoa, coffee, coconuts and mangoes. In addition they were also involved in export of crude coconut oil. Savid S.A., began shipping organic bananas to Europe in 1994 from an area of 350 ha, produced by small farmers in Azua. Subsequently the company grew and is currently the largest exporter of organic produce in the Dominican Republic and provides technical and financial assistance to farmers. The Grupo de Desarrollo Rural Nacional (GRAN), which is a community development organization, has also played a key role in the development of organic production in the Dominican Republic. Organic production rapidly expanded during the period 1995 onwards and, as discussed, many organizations became involved.

1.2 Support received

During the initial phase when ideas for organic production were being developed, support was mainly given by private foundations and the government. The growth of the industry was however market driven. Marketing companies such as Savid S.A. and Horizontes Orgánicos provide technical and financial assistance to farmers. Savid S.A. for instance, provides loans to cover up to 70 percent of production costs. This is possible because partners of Savid S.A. in Germany are able to guarantee cheaper loans externally. Horizontes Orgánicos also provides short- term loans mainly for purchase of inputs.

1.3 Main factors that drove output growth and conversion to organic farming

Several external and internal factors contributed to the growth of organic production in the Dominican Republic, including:

• Market availability and high demand, particularly in Europe;
• High price premiums;
• Environmental concerns;
• Availability of resources from the international community to NGOs;
• Low pressure from black sigatoka in the case of bananas; and
• Low use of inputs.

One of the key factors was the ready market for organic produce at a time when prices of conventional produce were low. Furthermore, recent years have seen an increased awareness and need for healthy food by consumers in developed countries leading to increased demand. Factors such as concerns over mad cow disease, which has received high publicity in Europe have spurred growth. Organic produce also fetched a higher price on the market, which was attractive for farmers. More generally, concerns about the impact of high input use on the environment have led to an increased awareness of the need to develop sustainable crop production practices. Organic farming has been promoted by both governmental and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) as a viable alternative. Against this background, resources were readily available to NGOs for the promotion of organic agriculture. The climatic conditions in the Dominican Republic were favourable for the development of organic agriculture. For instance, growth of bananas (the main export crop) was possible because of the low pressure from black sigatoka as much of the crop is grown in drier areas which do not favour disease spread. Generally it is important to note that many of the small scale farmers were using few inputs prior to conversion to organic agriculture mainly for economic reasons. However, this also meant that the switch to organic production did not require a major shift in ingrained 'bad habits' such as over-dependence on pesticides. The timing of the development of the organic sector in the Dominican Republic was perfect. From relatively small beginning in the early 1990s, it was possible to achieve rapid growth in the latter part of the decade when demand accelerated because many key issues including production and marketing had been resolved.

1.4 Main initial constraints

While markets for organic produce have continued to grow, regular production of sufficient produce of high quality to satisfy demand has been a major hurdle to marketing organic produce. The market requires a steady and reliable supply. Generally, farmers face serious difficulty to obtain financial resources for investment in organic agriculture. It is difficult for many farmers to obtain credit and in any case interest rates in the Dominican Republic are extremely high. There is also a lack of qualified personnel to provide technical knowledge and support to farmers. The export market requires that strict controls are followed and many farmers who previously never kept records needed to adopt new practices. Small producers were poorly organized creating serious logistical problems. The lack of local certification organizations which would be recognized in developed markets meant that this had to be done by external organizations. This is expensive and it would be impossible for many individual growers to afford the high cost. In some cases, there was a culture of relatively intense input usage and a general tendency to look for quick fix solutions, most of which were incompatible with organic production. While many farmers have been keen to adopt organic production for economic reasons, many have still not embraced the philosophy as a means of protecting the environment.

2. Institutions active in the organic sector at the national and local levels

2.1 Farmer organizations

There are many farmer associations and cooperatives which are usually organized along crop themes. These vary in size from a few individual farmers to several hundred. In general many of these organizations are weak and although it is widely recognized that they can fulfil an important role, the independent nature of many Dominican Republic farmers precludes their rapid development. For the banana industry, Lopez (2000) lists the following: in Azua, Cooperativa Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, (about 112 members), Cooperativa San Vicente de Paul (about 65 members), Asociación de Productores de Bananas Orgánicos (about 140 members), others (about 380 members). In the northwest, Asociación de Laguna salada (about 15 members), Asociación de Amina (68 members) and the Asociación de Productores Palo Verde (24 members). It is noteworthy that the Cooperativa Francisco del Rosario Sánchez did at one point market produce directly. However, since being hit by Hurricane George, the Cooperative has not recovered. The Confederación de Cacaocultores Dominicanos (CONACADO), a quasi government organization, brings together about 8 500 cocoa producers in nine regional associations and 4 000 coffee producers in eight regional blocks (Baldeyaque and Guerrero, 1999). GRAN assists about 1 100 coffee producers in 17 associations.

There are several community groupings which are interested in organic agriculture. One of the most notable is to be found in San José de Ocoa and it focuses mainly on vegetable production. The group has been brought together by a catholic priest, Father Quinn and is apparently making tremendous progress. Although farmers in this community are not formally certified, their production system is widely recognized at the domestic level where all their produce is marketed.

2.2 Government agencies

Two main governmental agencies involved in organic production are the Ministry of Agriculture and the Dominican Centre for Export Promotion (CEDOPEX). The Department for Agricultural Extension and Training has since 2000 embarked on an aggressive project focused principally on organic agriculture with support from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In addition, since 1997, the Ministry in collaboration with JICA has carried out research on organic production methods. Most notable was the research to adapt the Bocaschi composting approach at the Costanza Horticultural Experiment Station.

2.3 Foreign and international agencies (including NGOs)

There are a few international and many local agencies involved in the development of organic production in the Dominican Republic (Table 1). Many NGOs have focused on production aspects (technical assistance and training). JICA in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture has undertaken research into various aspects of organic production and is presently supporting a nation-wide extension project. CEDAF and JAD are well-established organizations supporting research and extension activities.

Table 1: Other private/public national or international agencies involved in organic production
Agency1	Type of agency	Activity
Local Agencies
JAD	NGO	Research and extension
CEDAF	NGO	Research, extension, coordination
GRAN	NGO	Extension, marketing, finance
ADAO	NGO	Coordination, policy support
FAMA	NGO	Training
Local universities	Public/private	Capacity building
International Agencies
JICA	Development Assistance	Research, extension, finance, marketing
HELVETAS	Development Assistance	Capacity building

¹ See Annex 2 for details.

3. National standards and regulations

3.1 National standards

The Ministry of Agriculture has set up a commission to develop national legislation. The Commission is made up of various stakeholders including representatives from both public and private institutions. The key driving force for the development of national legislation is the requirement by the European Union that suppliers of organic produce need national legislation by 2005. Recently, CONACADO has developed guidelines for organic cocoa and coffee production. This is a significant step forward in the development of national standards.

3.2 Certification and control of organic production

Standards for the domestic market are non-existent and those used have been implemented on an ad hoc basis based on good farming practices. Thus, for example a specialist shop will buy produce from a farmer associated with San José de Ocoa community group because their reputation is well known. Generally all export requirements are regulated by the importing countries.

3.3 Certifiers operating in the country

Several agencies certify organic produce in the Dominican Republic. However BCS ÖKO-Garantie (Germany) controls about 90 percent of all certification in the country. The company has established a national office with trained technical staff to facilitate activities. Thus a certifier from Europe only visits once a month. The establishment of strong national presence and capacity has facilitated more effective provision of service and opens scope for development of a certification system for the local market.

Other certifiers are: Demeter (Germany), FVO (United States), Imo Control (Germany, Switzerland), Suolo Italia (Italy), Skal (Netherlands), IBB (Brazil), QAI (United States).

4. Production of organic fruits and vegetables

4.1 Products: varieties, acreage, quantities, season, location

The main export crops are bananas, coffee, cocoa, mangoes, coconuts, sugar, lemons and oranges, while vegetables are particularly important for the domestic market. Details on these crops are given in Table 2. The growth in organic bananas as an export crop has been especially remarkable, almost doubling each year since 1997. Production during 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 was, 12 000, 20 000, 28 000 and 46 000 tonnes, respectively.

Table 2: The principal organic crops grown in the Dominican Republic
Crop	Acreage	No of Farmers	Notes
Banana	1 125 ha	1 725	Grown mainly in the provinces of Azua, Valverde and Montecristi
Cocoa	125 ha	500	Two main types grown Sánchez and Hispaniola accounting for 96% and 4% of exports respectively 31 875 ha and 8 500 producers. Grown in 9 provinces.
Coffee	1 406 ha	1 500	Two varieties are grown, Typica and Caturra accounting for 80% and 20% of production respectively. Marketed mainly by CONACADO, Horizontes Orgánicos, Horizontes, Mercantiles, Miguel Melo CxA and GRAN. Grown in 9 provinces.
Orange	?	?	Mainly grown in association with other tree crops such as cocoa
Mango	525	18	25-30 producers (80% for puree and 20% sold fresh)
Lemon	-	*28 ha -	Grown in Vega Province
Coconut	394 ha	345	Approx. 300 producers. Grown in Samana province
Sugar	?	?	Grown in one scheme in La Altagracia prince
Pineapple	?	*23 ha	Two main producers, Reno S.A with 17.5 ha and Plantaciones del Norte with 5.6 ha. The latter has plans to expand another 219 ha. Grown in the provinces of Sánchez, Ramírez and Valverde

Source: BCS OKO Garantie (1999) except those marked with an asterisk are derived from reports in El Exportador (1999, No 115).

4.2 Type of producers, farm size and land ownership

Organic production is carried out by individual households who are entirely dependent on agriculture as well as commercial producers who have large holdings. The farm sizes vary from very small holdings of around one ha to large commercial farms. An example of the size distribution of farms selling their produce through Savid S.A. is given in Table 3.

Table 3: Size distribution of farms producing organic banana and selling through SAVID S.A.
Location	Percentage number of farmers in each category
	Small (1-5 ha)	Medium (6-40 ha)	Large (41-60 ha)
North	40	40	20
South	80	20	Nil

4.3 Labour employed on the farm and gender issues

Most of the small farms (less than two ha), which are a majority, utilize family labour with only occasional employed labour at harvest time. All other farms require regular labour which comprises both men and women. Sixty percent of the labour is Haitian.

For a majority of the small holder farmers, the whole family works on the farm. Generally the crop is perceived to belong to the men. There are very few women farmers, less than 2 percent in the case of those selling their products through Horizontes Orgánicos and this reflects the position nationally. There is some division of labour in the case of bananas with men working mainly in the field and women mainly in packing. It is not clear whether the same applies to other crops.

4.4 Production constraints

There are several significant constraints to organic production and these may vary from one crop to another. Pest management is generally a major problem. In banana, control of yellow and black sigatoka and crown rot are seen as major constraints. In vegetable production whiteflies are regarded as the greatest constraint. Provision of adequate nutrients is also seen as a major problem mainly due to lack of organic material for composting. Availability of water for irrigation and maintenance of irrigation equipment particularly for banana production can be a constraint. Lack of technical knowledge and technical backup appears to be a problem. Start-up costs as well as costs for rehabilitation, particularly following the devastation of Hurricane George, are a major constraint to production.

4.5 Role of producer organizations

Generally, producer organizations have been very weak and their impact has been limited. Some of the reasons for this have been alluded to above. However, such associations are seen as important in order to develop a critical mass of production capability and to allow for more effective access to common needs such as water for irrigation and technical knowledge. The higher level organizations such as CONACADO play an important role in the whole range of activities from production to the market. This includes farmer organization, technical support, credit and actual marketing of produce. CONACADO has also been involved in development of organic regulations.

4.6 Existing support to production

The Government has embarked on an aggressive campaign to develop organic production nationally. The focus of the project is improvement of farmer training and technical assistance. The activities under the project will be phased at different temporal and spatial scales. Initially the focus will be on the regional level and will involve research aimed at demonstrating organic production techniques. This will then be expanded to the zonal and sub-zonal level when 125 demonstration plots will be established and a cadre of extensionists trained.

Some of the exporting companies provide technical assistance to farmers. For instance, EKOBAN, a subsidiary of Savid S.A. has this as a priority activity. Other companies/organizations such as CONACADO, Horizontes Orgánicos, GRAN etc. also provide support for extension. Various other institutions are involved in capacity building at different levels and these have been discussed above. A few of the marketing companies also offer financial support to production, particularly for the purchase of inputs.

There are at least four local private companies involved in production and import of inputs to supply the organic sector (Citrex Dominicana, ECOCIBAO, BioLiga and FAMA). They supply organic nutrients and acceptable pest management interventions such as biological control agents and organic pesticides.

5. Marketing organic fruit and vegetables

5.1 Domestic markets

Many rural households consume food that is essentially "organic". However, in the contemporary sense of the term, there is a fledgling domestic market comprising consumers in the large cities and the tourist industry. Products are sold directly by farmers at the markets. Although organic produce may be offered at one and a half to two times the price of conventional produce, the general situation is that both are sold at the same price. This is because the local market is not well organized and consumers are generally less aware. The present volume of products on the domestic market is difficult to estimate, but it is small.

Although no specific studies assess the growth potential of the domestic market, anecdotal evidence suggests that it has enormous scope for growth particularly if the problem of quality and reliability of supply can be resolved. Demand exists in the rapidly growing tourist industry as well as with the local urban population which is becoming increasingly health conscious. In addition, there is an urgent need to develop regulations and mechanisms for certifying and labelling produce for the domestic market. In order to increase local consumption, the Ministry of Agriculture with assistance from JICA (Japan International Aid Agency), is establishing a physical structure in Santo Domingo to be dedicated to the sale of organic produce to local consumers. Opinions on whether or not this will generate interest and increased consumption are varied. It has been suggested that expanding distribution and sale of produce through existing retail outlets would have a more rapid impact. In addition, there is a growing group of consumers who obtain organic produce from specialist shops. However, this is still quite a small component.

5.2 Exports

5.2.1 Products and quantities exported

The main products exported are fresh bananas and cocoa (Table 4). However, there has been a consistent increase in number of products traded each year and this trend is expected to continue, particularly with tropical fruits. It is also notable that some products are traded in a semi processed form, such as mango puree and concentrated juice. Based on figures from Savid S.A, the value of some of the products may in fact be much higher than those quoted by CEDOPEX (Jetta van den Berg pers. comm). Thus for instance based on these figures, the value of dry coconut was US$130,000 and US$110,000 respectively for 1999 and 2000. For fresh bananas the value was US$1.6 and 2.2 million for the respective period, while for mango puree, quantities exported in 1999 and 2000 were 195 and 128 metric tons for a value of US$195,000 and $176,000 respectively. The value of fresh mango exports in 2000 was $211,000. In view of the fact that Savid exports a large proportion of some of these products, their data is credible.

Table 4: Products and quantities exported in 1999 and 2000
Crop	Year 1999		Year 2000
	Metric Tonnes	Value FOB (US$000s)	Metric Tonnes	Value FOB (US$000s)
Dry coconut	292	56	282	93
Fresh banana	28 363	8 093	45 830	13 876
Biodynamic banana			1 046	211
Pineapple	13	14	3	1
Lemons			20	18
Green coffee	69	193	257	667
Herbs		<1	4	3
Crude coconut oil			26	6
Cocoa beans	920	1 217	5 206	5192
Cocoa butter			214	455
Mango puree	11	4	195	153
Fresh mango	37	25	188	94
Jagua juice			3	1
Fruit juice			13	6
Cocoa liqueur			61	90
Total	29 705	9 601	53 347	20 870

Source: CEDOPEX and current FOB (see Annex I for details)

The marketing channels are reasonably well defined particularly because of the need for certification. In the case of bananas, products are sold directly through about five main exporting companies, with an exception of Plantaciones del Norte, which grows and markets its own produce. GRAN, a community development organization, has also been actively involved in marketing produce. The main companies involved in export of organic produce from the Dominican Republic are listed in Table 5. The biggest one is Savid S.A which is focused mainly on bananas but is involved in export of mango and coconuts as well.

Table 5: Companies involved in export and or processing of organic produce
Company1	Products
Americo Melo and Co. C.X.A	Coffee
Caribbean fruit	Banana
Caribex Dominicana	Mango Puree
Confederación Nacional de Cacaocultores	Coffee, cocoa butter
Ecofair S.A Y/O Supliban S.A.	Bananas
Grupo de Desarrollo Rural	Green Coffee
Grupo de Desarrollo Rural Nacional, Inc.	Coffee
Horizontes Orgánicos C.X.A	Bananas, Coconut Oil, mangoes, coffee, cocoa
Plantaciones del Norte	Bananas, pineapple
Procesadora de Caña Orgánica, Cruz Verde	Sugar syrup, sugar, molasses
Reno, S.A.	Fresh pineapple
Savid S.A.	Bananas, mangoes, coconuts

¹See Annex 2 for details.

5.2.3 Countries of destination

The number of countries to which organic produce is exported has been increasing steadily. During the year 2000, products were exported to at least 21 countries in the Caribbean, North America, Europe and Asia. Over 80 percent of the produce was exported to Europe. The main markets by volume were the United Kingdom and Belgium followed by the United States, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy in decreasing order (Figure 1 and Annex I). A significant share of the products shipped to Belgium were re-exported to other EC countries. In terms of number of different products shipped, these ranged from one to ten. Ten products were exported to the United States and the Netherlands, eight to Germany. The number of products shipped to the United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy, Canada and St. Martin ranged from 4-5. The number of products in all other countries ranged from 1-3.

Figure 1. Destination by volume of organic products from the Dominican Republic during 2000

5.2.4 Type of customers

For banana and other fresh fruit, produce is sold directly to ripeners or to supermarkets. Savid S.A. for instance sells most of its produce in the United Kingdom to ripeners and directly to supermarkets in Germany and Switzerland. In Germany some produce is sold to "green shops".

5.2.5 Average FOB price and price differential with conventional products

The average FOB price of organic produce in 2000 is given in Annex 1 while Table 6 (below) compares prices of organic produce and conventional produce in 1999. Mangoes fetched the highest price premium while the price of organic green coffee was lower than that of conventional coffee. Bananas, which are the largest traded commodity in terms of volume and value, fetched a price premium of 46 percent. Based on data from Savid (Jetta van den Berg, pers. comm.), the FOB prices of organic banana in 1999 and 2000 were US$9.00 and $8.50 per box respectively. Prices of conventional bananas for both years were US$6.50. Thus, estimated price premiums based on these figures were 38.5 percent and 30 percent respectively. For 2001, price premiums are in the range of 25-30 percent and these are expected to fall to about 20 percent in 2002. The prices for fresh organic mango was US$4.50 per box in 1999-2000 and this fell to US$4.00 but the price of organic mango puree has remained stable for several years at US$1.00 per Kg. For coconuts, higher prices were realized in 1999 (US$9.00) but the price has remained stable during 2000-01 at US$8.5 per box. Clearly, there is a downward trend in the price of organic produce, with lower premiums being realized.

Table 6: A comparison of price premiums for organic and conventional produce during 1999 (data modified from Brechelt, 2001)
Product	Organic (US$)	Conventional (US$)	Price premium %
Fresh bananas	267.30 per pallet	182.42	46.53
Cocoa beans	1491.76 per tonne	1332.17	11.98
Green coffee	3102.71 per tonne	3248.18	-4.48
Cocoa butter	3974.02 per tonne	3600.16	10.38
Dry coconut	169.98 per thousand fruits	123.30	37.86
Mangoes	747.18 per thousand fruits	395.38	88.98
Mango pulp	900.76 per tonne	421.44	113.73

5.2.6 Constraints to exports

The in-country infrastructure is good but transportation costs could be reduced if produce from the northern regions could be shipped via Puerto Plata instead of Santo Domingo. Several constraints to export are recognized.

• Space on ships can be a constraint;
• Equipment at ports is old and needs renovation;
• Competition particularly from Central American producers (in the case of bananas);
• Inadequate promotion of organic produce from the Dominican Republic;
• High taxes on items such as fuel and other inputs required for production; and
• High start-up costs for small farmers.

6. Prospects for increase in production and exports

The potential for increased production of all crops and diversification is enormous. Indeed, there is already a trend to increase the product range. The growing domestic market as well as regional markets provide some potential particularly for vegetables. Indeed, it is envisaged that in the short term, expansion of organic production will track global trends in demand. Thus 5-10 percent growth is projected annually. Some of the major challenges concern production. These include production of sufficient product of high quality to satisfy demand, technical support for farmers, provision of affordable credit, suitable shipping schedules and growing competition. The organic sector has benefited considerably from the fact that development took place at the right time. Thus by the mid-1990s, sufficient local information had been generated concerning needs for production, marketing and other logistics that the sector was able to capitalise on existing high demand.

7. Conclusions

In less than ten years, organic production has been expanded greatly; to the extent that it is now a significant part of the economy. Clearly the demand for organic produce spurred growth but the significant role played by the private sector and particularly the exporting companies is remarkable. Indeed it is clear that while farmers could easily adopt organic practices, equally as much attention should be paid to developing marketing systems as to the transfer of technology. The market for organic produce continues to grow and the scope for expansion of production is therefore great (Haest, 2000; Sauvé, 2000).

References

Baldeyaque, J. and Guerrero, H. (1999) A short diagnosis about the status of organic agriculture in the Dominican Republic. 111 pp.

Brechelt, A. (2001) Commercialization and future of Dominican organic products. Unpublished Report.

Brechelt, A. (2000) Organic agriculture. Technical Guide No 35. Centro para el Desarrollo Agropecuario y Forestal, Inc. Dominican Republic. 36 pp.

CEDOPEX (1999) El Exportador, June-December Issue, No 115. (Various articles on organic agriculture featured in this edition). 64 pp.

Haest, C. (2000) In Organic Banana 2000: Towards an organic banana initiative in the Caribbean. Report of the international workshop on the production and marketing of organic bananas by smallholder farmers. 95-109 pp.

López, C. (2000) The Dominican Republic Experience. In Organic Banana 2000: Towards an organic banana initiative in the Caribbean. Report of the international workshop on the production and marketing of organic bananas by smallholder farmers. 67-70 pp.

Ornes, H. (1987) Community centres for organic agriculture and appropriate technology in the Dominican Republic. Sustainable Development Conference, 28-30 April 1987. London (UK), IIED. 15 pp.

Sauvé, E. (2000) The North American market: present and future. In Organic Banana 2000: Towards an organic banana initiative in the Caribbean. Report of the international workshop on the production and marketing of organic bananas by smallholder farmers. 110-116 pp.

Sauvé, E. (2000) The North American market for organic bananas: present and future. In Organic Banana 2000: Towards an organic banana initiative in the Caribbean. Report of the international workshop on the production and marketing of organic bananas by smallholder farmers. 111-116 pp.

Van den Berg, J. (2001) Personal communication with the author

Annex I
Organic exports from the Dominican Republic: products, quantities, destination and FOB for the year 1999-2000

Product/Country	1999		2000*
	Volume (tonnes)	Total FOB (US$)	Volume (tonnes)	Total FOB (US$)
Dry Coconut	292	55 986	282	93 078
UK	157	33 442	109	50 514
Belgium-Luxembourg	11	2 480	95	20 938
USA	40	6 264	18	7 977
Germany	49	8 000	30	6 442
The Netherlands	25	4 000	25	4 000
Italy			5	3 000
St. Martin			<1	200
Aruba			<1	8
Puerto Rico	10	1 800
Fresh bananas (organic)	28 363	8 092 874	45 830	13 878 359
UK	10 479	3 234 216	18 300	6 228 686
Belgium-Luxembourg	5 603	1 549 294	12 335	3 639 388
USA	2 547	473 562	5 526	1 131 111
Germany	4 785	1 316 301	3 522	1 093 131
Japan	1 792	510 335	2 011	713 638
The Netherlands	3 015	979 791	1 904	690 983
Italy			1 748	275 532
Sweden			62	25 920
Portugal			236	24 192
Barbados			61	23 620
Sweden	142	29,376	79	16 104
Bhutan			41	14 634
Haiti			1	675
St Martin			2	500
Spain			1	245
Fresh Bananas (bio-dynamic)			1 046	211 410
Belgium-Luxembourg			829	173 004
Germany			90	18 288
The Netherlands			20	7 296
Haiti			49	3 944
Sweden			18	3 648
US Virgin Islands			21	2 830
USA			19	2 400
Pineapples	13	13 750	3	1 340
USA	13	13 750	3	1 340
Mango	37	25 136	188	94 315
Belgium-Luxembourg	14	14 528	139	74 652
Germany	3	1 440	35	15 807
Canada			5	1 501
UK	17	7 500	5	1 209
The Netherlands			3	1 021
St Martin			<1	90
Switzerland	<1	168	<1	35
France	4	1 500
Lemons			20	18 494
The Netherlands			7	7 263
UK			6	5 874
Puerto Rico			2	2 170
Germany			1	1 276
St Martin			2	732
Haiti			1	455
US Virgin Islands			1	395
USA			<1	170
Italy			<1	146
Switzerland			<1	14
Organic Green Coffee	69	193 209	257	667 164
Germany	38	103 754	162	412 451
Sweden	31	89 455	38	114 915
The Netherlands			28	84 822
USA			19	54 977
Aromatic Herbs	<1	9	4	3 264
Canada			4	2 880
USA			1	384
The Netherlands	<1	9
Crude coconut oil			26	6 250
The Netherlands			26	6 250
Cocoa beans	920	1 216 757	5 206	5 191 851
Belgium-Luxembourg	409	604 800	3 987	3 897 180
The Netherlands	256	323 266	320	358 537
Italy	153	166 824	294	315 063
Spain			281	291 186
Germany	102	121 867	179	187 740
Mexico			81	65 915
Honduras			26	32 130
Switzerland			26	25 200
USA			13	18 900
Cocoa butter			214	454 511
The Netherlands			159	350 420
USA			53	99 379
Puerto Rico			2	4 712
Organic mango purée	11	3 587	195	152 672
Germany			53	48 600
USA			67	43 468
Canada			26	26 454
The Netherlands			26	24 300
Puerto Rico	11	3,587	23	9 850
Citrus juice			3	1 300
Canada			3	1 300
Fruit juice			13	6 380
Canada			13	6 380
Cocoa liqueur			61	90 014
The Netherlands			61	90 014
Total	29 705	9 601 308	53 347	20 870 402

Source: CEDOPEX 26 March 2001.

Annex II
List of Institutions involved in Organic Agriculture

Caribex Dominicana, S. A.
C/Avenida Central, No. 30,
Santo Domingo
Tel: 809 542-256
Fax: 809 542-213
Processing of organic mango pure

Centro de Agricultura Orgánica con Tecnología Apropiada (CASTA)
Vil2.10l0.a Altagracia
Professional capacity building
Agricultural training, research and
organic production

Centro Regional de Estudios de Alternativas Rurales (CREAR)
Río Limpio, Elías Piña
Training of trainee technicians
Research and organic production

Citrex Dominicana
C/Cayetano Germosen # 66
Jardines del Sur
Sto Domingo
Tel: 809 532-7981
Fax: 809 535-2402
Commercialization of organic goods

Confederación Nacional de Cacaocultores Dominicanos (CONACADO)
Apt. Postal 3904 C/Transito
Dominicano # 1 Piedra Blanca,
Haina, Sto. Domingo
Tel: 809 541-8383
Fax: 809 542-3441
Loans to farmers, training.
Organization of producers and
commercialization chains

Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples
"Francisco del Rosario Sánchez"
C/P. # 3 piso, Barrio "Los
Parceleros de Azua"
Fax: 809 521-3094
Production of organic bananas

ECOCIBAO
Piedra Blanca, Jarabacoa,
La Vega
Tel: 809 248-2600
Fax: 809 574-2020

ECOFAIR S.A. y/o SUPLIBAN
C/El Arca, N.10, Arroyo Hondo,
Santo Domingo,
República Dominicana
Tel: 809 542-8407
Fax: 809542-3441
Production of bananas

Exportadora de Productos Ecológicos C&A
C/Leonor Feltz # 40 Minador
Sur,
Tel: 809 473-7463
Fax: 809473-7268
Santo Domingo
Export of natural products made from "Nim".

Fundación "Agricultura y Medio Ambiente" (FAMA)
C/Leonor Feltz # 40 Minador
Sur,
Santo Domingo
Tel: 809 473-7463
Fax: 809 473-7268
Promotion of educational
activities to protect the
environment

Grupo de Desarrollo Rural Nacional (GRAN)
Cayetano Rodríguez # 159.
Gazcue
Tel: 809 685-5211
Fax: 809 685-0146
Training, loans to farmers.
Commercialization and
certification of organic products

Guineo Nicolás CXA
C/C #12 El Despertador Santiago
Tel: 809 241-3639
Fax: 809 582-5777
Production and
commercialization of organic banana

Horizontes Orgánicos
CXA
Km 81/2 Carretera Azua, San
Juan de la Maguana, Los Taínos
Apartado Postal 15, Azua
Tel: 809 521-3571
Fax: 809 521-3925
Production, commercialization
and export of organic products
(coffee,banana, coconut)

Instituto de Horticultura Biodinámica (HIB)
Sonador - Bonao, República
Dominicana
Research and training

Lirianoy Gandini Ingenieros Asociados (Biología, S. A)
Avenida Valerio # 58 Altos,
Santiago,
República Dominicana
Tel: 809 971-1764
Fax: 809 971-55158
Commercialization of organic goods

Melo CXA
C/Anacaona #14, Barahona,
República Dominicana
Tel: 809 524-5757
Fax: 809 524-2587
Production, commercialization
and export of organic products,
mainly coffee.

Plantaciones del Norte, S. A.
Héroes de la Barranquilla, Mao,
Valverde,
República Dominicana
Tel: 809 572-3536
Fax: 809 572-3696
Production and
commercialization of bananas
and pineapple.

Plantaciones Tropicales
Cesar Nicolás Penzón # 116
Apt. Postal 25007
Sto. Domingo
República Dominicana
Tel: 809 221-2727
Fax: 809 686-0755
Production and commercialization of organic products

Procesadora de Caña Orgánica "Cruz Verde"
C Manzana 26, No. 6, Urb. El
Brisal, Santo Domingo
República Dominicana
Tel: 809 593-8085
FAX. 809 682-5817
Processing sugar, sugar cane
syrup, block sugar, molasses

Proyecto "La Cruz de Manzanillo"
C/Pepinillo Salcedo Monte Cristi
Tel: 809 579-9510
FAX: 809 579-9603
Production of banana, plantain
and other crops

Tecnología Bananera, S. A.
Avenida Duarte # 52, 3er piso
Licey,
Almedio, Santiago

Ramírez Bermúdez y Asociados
Avenida José Contreras #66,
Zona Universitaria,
Santo Domingo
Tel: 809 532-3532
Fax: 809 532-3556
Certification of organic products

Savid S.A.
C/Colon #125 Azua.
Tel: 809 521-3568
Fax: 809 521-2310
Production and
commercialization of organic products

Servicios Social de Iglesias Dominicanas, Inc.
C/Luis Emilio Pérez # 8 casi
Esq. Euclides Morillo, Ens.
La Fé.
Promotion of the rural areas
development.
Agricultural training

Visión Mundial Internacional
César Nicolás Penzón # 60, Esq
Angel Perdomo
Tel: 809 221-6715/17
Fax: 809 221-8109
Promotion of rural development.
Agricultural training