The country has exported more than 291,000 pounds of larimar this year

The Minister of Energy and Mines, Joel Santos Echavarría, reported that in just one year, the country tripled its exports of larimar from 85,480 pounds in 2024 to 291,340 pounds this year.

“We must remember that we are a tourist country, and I have said it many times, larimar has to be part of that Dominican tourist product,” said the official.

Santos also highlighted that the stone is protected under the International Registration of the Larimar Barahona Origin Designation and noted the first Artisanal Mining Emergency Response Brigade as another achievement.

He made these statements at a promotional fair held for National Larimar Day in the province of Barahona, where miners, artisans, designers, and brigade members involved in the mineral’s industrialization were recognized.

The director of Mining at the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM), Rolando Muñoz Mejía, highlighted that around 950 workers enter the mines daily to extract larimar.

Complaints from artisans

Miners and artisans emphasized that the lack of economic resources, the low sale price of the stone, both raw and in jewelry, and the weak promotion of this market are areas that need improvement.

Fernando González, a miner with more than 40 years of experience in the area, indicated that a pound of larimar currently costs between RD$4,000 and RD$5,000, but could still fetch a higher price on the market.

“It could be sold for ten or twelve thousand pesos, because this price does not cover expenses and larimar is a unique stone. There is no other like it. Other countries come (to buy), but they accommodate themselves,” he said.

Similarly, artisan Alexander Vargas noted that the industry needs promotion and financial resources to extract the material from the mines.

“We have a larimar mine that needs resources. We have more than 600 men working there using traditional methods. It is an impoverished province with a surplus of labor. We need resources so that larimar can be extracted and, especially, more promotion so that international tourists know about larimar stone because it is unique in the world so far. That is what we need,” he said.