Fruit, vegetable exports near US$400M in 2014; Data

Santo Domingo.- National Statistics Office (ONE) data show Dominican Republic earned US$297.3 million from fruit and US$92 million from vegetable exports in 2014, totaling US$389.3 million.

May posted highest fruit exports revenue (US$28.3 million) and July (US$28 million); while the months with the most vegetable exports were March, with US$10.1 million and December, US$8.9 million.

in 2014, 76.2% of fruit exports were bananas and plantains, with US$226.67 million; 13.7% were dates, pineapples, avocados, guavas and mangoes (US$40.8 million) and US$29.83 million in other fruits, or 10.1%.

Overall the UK is the main importer country of Dominican fruits with US$90.1 million, followed by the US (US$37.5 million), 46.9% of which were avocados).

By category the leading vegetable exports were fresh legumes (US$41.8 million), including "Capsicum" peppers (US$ 27.1 million, of which 79.8% went to the US; eggplant (US$ 7.1 million), squash (US$ 2.3 million), among others.

String beans earned US$13.6 million: beans, beans, pigeon peas, beans, among others.

In tubers: cassava, taro, yams, and sweet potatoes, eddoes, exports were US$9.7 million, of which US$6.8 million were sweet potatoes.

Fresh or chilled tomatoes were US$7.9 million (52.2% to the US) and cucumbers or pickles, US$7.3 million (92.1% to the US).