Dominican Republic must diversify export markets: Roundtable

Santo Domingo.- The presidentof the Roundtable of Commonwealth Countries in the Dominican Republic on Mondayurged the private and public sector to focus efforts to identify new marketsfor Dominican exports.

Fernando GonzalezNicolas said Haiti´s current situation should spur Dominicans to decisively findnew markets. “It is not convenient to the national interest to have such a highconcentration on the Haiti market.”

He said countrieswith healthy international trade don’t concentrate their export or import markets.In Dominican Republic´s case we concentrate 85 percent of exports in only twocountries. When problems arise, such as Haiti, this significantly affectsnational productive sectors.”

“As examples of suchcases figure Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and others that focus only up to 15percent of the total trade with any country. So we recommended that DominicanRepublic organize more trade missions to promote exports, more internationalfairs in Santo Domingo and participate in more exhibitions organized abroad,”the business leader said in a statement

Gonzalez said thegovernment and the respective national business associations should organizehis proposed trade missions, which could include the Commonwealth´s 53countries as potential markets for Dominican exports.

“The Commonwealthcountries control 25 percent of world trade,” he said, adding that the Roundtablepromotes bilateral ties among its 53 member nations.