Bright moment for the poultry industry

Contrary to what happens in other countries, the Dominican poultry industry is in one of its best moments.

For a long time, its exports were limited to the conflictive Haitian market. Now, they also target places such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, Aruba, Guyana, Martinique, and Saint Martin. Dominican monthly exports reached an average of 67 million units in 2024. The country exports an average of 16.5 million eggs to Cuba each month.

This has been possible because the country’s production capacity exceeds national consumption.
Production has gone from 150 million units per month in 2021 to 300 million in 2024. For February and March 2025 alone, a monthly egg production of around 350 million units has been projected.

While this is happening in the Dominican Republic, other countries have been surprised by the collapse of their production.

This is the case in the United States, where the worst avian influenza outbreak in history has forced the culling of approximately 166 million poultry since 20022, reducing laying hens by 9% by January 2025.

In the face of the shortage, the price of a dozen eggs reached 9 dollars (563 pesos) during the first two months of 2025. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that the price escalation will continue over the next few months, with increases of more than 40% in the remainder of 2025.

The impact on the market has been such that, in addition to rationing sales, there are supermarkets that have chosen to sell eggs at retail, in a small case with two or three units, (not in a pack of a dozen) while others, no less ingenious, have begun to make the rental of laying hens a business.

Production problems in the United States have also been felt in Mexico, where the price of a kilo of eggs rose in February from 63.30 to 80.20 Mexican pesos, an increase of almost 27%.

The Dominican Republic has escaped the egg crisis and also increased the price of chicken meat in those markets, thanks to its industry’s necessary investments in genetic improvements. Both the public and private sectors have taken protective measures against the threat of avian influenza.

The Minister of Agriculture, Limber Cruz, just announced that the Las Americas International Airport will be equipped with two state-of-the-art incinerators, which will be essential for managing international solid waste generated by aircraft from all over the world. Thus, this will improve the prevention of pests and diseases that can enter the Dominican Republic through this route.

With this effort, we seek to prevent the introduction of pests and diseases that can decimate the agricultural sector. This ensures the local market’s supply of the main source of protein for the Dominican population and the growth of its exports to diverse and promising markets.