Dominican businesses expanding role in Haiti reconstruction
The Dominican Republic has one of the strongest economies in Central America and is one of the major trade partners of earthquake-beleaguered Haiti. For this reason, political leaders in the country have pointed out that it is vital for local businesses to continue or expand their involvement in Haiti’s reconstruction, or the country would lose an important source of revenue.
The Dominican Republic’s economy is export driven, and Haiti accounted for over 10% of exports before the earthquake of January 12th, which saw much of the capital Port Au Prince destroyed and 280,000 people killed. That 10% meant $630 million in revenue for local businesses, which is now in jeopardy.
This tragedy has crippled Haiti’s economy and already exports to the country from the Dominican Republic have fallen by 20%. For this reason, many local companies are turning to the US and the UN, as well as other donor countries, and countries involved in Haiti’s reconstruction, to supply them with services and materials instead.
The government recently told the Republic of Dominica’s news media that further decreases in trade with Haiti would hurt the economy in the long-term if Haiti began to rely more on other countries for import products rather than its neighbor.
The Dominican Republic, however, is perfectly placed to play a central role in the redevelopment of the country because of its location, and so the Foreign Ministry has begun providing training to local business owners, showing them how they can go about applying to the UN to offer essential services, such as the provision of housing materials, food and temporary shelters.
For some Dominicans it has provided an opportunity to expand their business into Haiti for the first time, one local wood-furnishing factory owner has built ten prefabricated homes, which he has sold to a charity group in Haiti for $35,000.
So far, the results are not encouraging. Around 100 Dominican businesses have made just $5 million as suppliers for Haiti’s rebuilding in the last three months, which falls woefully short of the some $60 million in revenue lost due to reductions in trade.
However, the world community has pledged over $3 billion for the reconstruction of Haiti and so this figure may improve, providing Dominican and Haitian futures with a better outlook.
Comments
More Dominican Republic News
RSS-
Canadians jailed in Dominican wedding brawl released set to return to Canada
TORONTO - Two Canadian men who've spent the last three weeks in a Dominican jail following a wedding brawl have been released, according to their aunt. "We're happy, we're ecstatic," Josie Depaola ...
-
Dominican leader warns Haiti of “drastic” measures on poultry ban
Santo Domingo.- President Danilo Medina on Tuesday warned of possibly drastic measures to prevent Dominicans eggs and poultry's dependence on Haiti's market and ruled out shuttering the border as some sectors suggest, because "we don't have to go that far," calling the standoff trade dispute. He didn't specify what measures could be taken and announced a meeting ...
-
Medina breaks ground for Santo Domingo Beltway
Santo Domingo.- President Danilo Medina on Tuesday headed groundbreaking for the construction of the Santo Domingo Beltway, whose first phase will cost more than US$97.0 million. The chief executive was accompanied by Public Works minister Gonzalo Castillo in the activity to start the work on the four-lane highway that will link the port at Boca Chica with the two at Haina. The first phase ...
-
Pampering Poultry Chicken Poop a Problem Claremont Woman Has It Covered
Mama Hen wears a chicken diaper while roaming the stairs of Julie Baker's home in Claremont. Baker started Pampered Poultry and works with a sewing co-op in the Dominican Republic to make and sell the handmade chicken diapers. (Valley News - Sarah ...
-
U.S. Embassy hosts 2 concerts by the Harlem Gospel Choir
S.D. The U.S. Embassy announces performances by the exquisite Harlem Gospel Choir at the Gran Teatro del Cibao (Santiago) on July 2, and at Santo Domingo's Teatro Nacional on July 3. On Facebook, the U.S. Embassy is inviting people to enjoy the "Concert for the Americas" free of charge, as part of the U.S. Independence Day ...
-
Icon Dominican border town resumes trade with Haiti for now
Dajabon, Dom. Rep.- The local retailers association of Dajabon, the country's biggest and most active border town, lifted the strike in effect since yesterday to protest the Haitian government's ban on Dominican Republic poultry products, enacted citing concerns over alleged bird flu. Tractor-trailers and other vehicles were allowed to cross into and out of Haiti since early Tuesday ...
-
Haiti reports first suspected H1N1 death in 2013
Haiti reported on Monday its first suspected death this year from H1N1 virus, reports reaching here said.The victim was from the small community of Nan Bannann in the southern city of Belle-Ansecity, 110 km southwest of the capital Port-au-Prince, the reports said.As local government said, the victim died at a hospital in Thiotte, 65 km east of the capital.Reports said the victim appeared to ...
-
Dominican President AES Corp. CEO meet in the National Palace
Santo Domingo.- AES Corporation CEO and President, Andrs Gluski, met today at the National Palace with President Danilo Medina and Vice President of CDEEE, Rubn Bichara, to announce the platform expansion plan of the company in the Dominican Republic. This expansion, which will be developed by AES, the Government and other strategic partners, involves over a billion dollars in the next five ...
-
Medina asks industrialists “what’s your effort”
San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.- During president Danilo Medina's now traditional surprise visits on Sunday, he called on the San Cristobal Industrial Park cluster to make a greater sacrifice, when its beneficiaries asked him for the steel buildings, a power plant, money to purchase machinery and working capital. "You cannot ask the government to pay for the warehouses, to give ...
-
UN’s Valerie Julliand leaves with fondness for Dominicans
Santo Domingo.- UN Program for Development (UNDP) coordinator Valerie Julliand called Dominicans a working, hospitable and caring people, with an extraordinary desire to progress and develop. The UN official, who is leaving after concluding her tenure in the country, said she'll always remember Dominican Republic's solidarity as a nation to help the Haitian people in 2010 when the ...
-
Haiti ban shows Hispaniola commission’s lack of clout on trade rows
Santo Domingo.- The row unleashed by Haiti's ban on Dominican eggs and poultry has shed light on the Joint Dominican-Haitian Bilateral Commission's lack of clout in the current disputes among the two Hispaniola island nations, despite being "two wings of the same bird." The row also shows both countries' weakness toward dialogue and the bungled handling of their ...
-
Four-hour meeting fails to lift Haiti ban on Dominican products
Santo Domingo -After meeting for more than four hours, the Haitian and Dominican authorities failed to reach an agreement to lift the ban on poultry and eggs imports. FILE. Haiti Foreign minister Pierre Richard Casimir and Dominican counterpart Carlos Morales are in a closed-door talks since 12: 20pm, looking to lift the ban of Dominican egg and chicken exports to the neighboring country. To ...
-
Agents nab “highly dangerous” Iranian wanted in France
Santo Domingo.- Iranian national Larki Ashtari, wanted in France on burglaries, grand theft and kidnappings was arrested in the city Wednesday, by National Investigation Department (DNI) agents. The DNI called Ashtari a highly dangerous criminal who entered Dominican Republic from Paris, via Punta Cana Airport on July 21, 2012, returning to that nation on September 15 of that year. It said the ...
-
Alleged killer victim’s daughter found on Web extradited to NYC
New York.- Dominican Justo de los Santos shot compatriot Jose Martinez twice in the chest killing him on November 22, 1986 , and was arrested in Miami after the victim's daughter searched for him since 2006. He was extradited to New York on Friday. The suspect, 43, who was 16 when he killed Martinez 26 years ago, was working as in Florida where he settled after fleeing Upper Manhattan to ...
-
What to do when a loved one dies
Whether it's expected or accidental, the death of a loved one can shake you to the core. The last thing you want is to have to interrupt grieving to deal with mundane tasks, but unfortunately there are many actions that must be done on behalf of the deceased. Some must be taken immediately, while with others you can take your time and reflect on the best path to follow. Here's a ...
-
Canadians in Dominican post-wedding fight face jail $100K fines
Stacey Vernon and her new husband, Nick Miele, just hours before he was arrested after a fight at the Bahia Principe Esmeralda resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Courtesy Vernon ...
-
Obamas Policy Towards the Caribbean is Criticized
Port of Spain, Jun 17 (Prensa Latina) The main feature of the policy towards the Caribbean of United State' President, Barack Obama, is the lack of commitment, said today the Caribbean Journal newspaper. According to the journal, the permanent promise of the president is the closure of the prison in Guantanamo's naval base, territory that is occupied by US against the will of Cuban ...
-
Government pays RD$529.0M owed to 137 school breakfast suppliers
Santo Domingo.- Student Welfare director Rene Jaquez on Monday announced that the government paid RD$529.0 million owed to 137 suppliers of the school breakfast. The official announced a call for tenders to buy bread and biscuits for the lunches the government plans to start providing to the public schools that will extend the schedule to 3pm. In a press conference in the National Palace, ...
-
Havana Hosts Caribbean Cinema Forum Info - Prod Research
Breaking hearts, winning minds ; Five directors have been nominated for the Irish Council for Civil Liberties film award. Here they discuss their ...
-
Cross-border markets halted as officials mull Haiti ban
Dajabn, Dominican Republic.- The Dajabon Merchants Association on Monday reiterated its call to shutter border markets to protest Haiti's ban on poultry and eggs from Dominican Republic, on alleged bird flu. The halt comes as officials from both countries plan talks on lifting the ban that Port-au-Prince ordered citing concerns over alleged bird flu cases. Association Freddy president ...
-
Apple’s new Mac Pro Does internal expandability really matter
';Apple has announced its new Mac Pro professional desktop workstation, and it is 1/8th the volume of the old one,'; Joel Santo Domingo writes for PC Magazine. ';To get it so small, Apple had to remove one of the primary reasons to get a Mac Pro in the first place: There is no significant internal expansion space in the new 2013 Mac Pro.'; ';Apple’s upcoming Mac ...
-
Nobody is above the Constitution
SANTO DOMINGO. "No one is above the Constitution, not even the Constitutional Tribunal," proclaimed the presiding magistrate, who congratulated the harmony with which they work with the Supreme Court of Justice.Milton Rey Guevara stressed that the Constitutional Tribunal (TC) complies with the regulations and the other government agencies should do the same so that there are no ...
Dominican Feature
-
Dominican businesses expanding role in Haiti reconstruction
The Dominican Republic is already a regional leader in Central America and now looks poised to play an even greater role in the future of disaster-hit Haiti. The two countries are already major trade partners, and this relationship looks set to expand into rebuilding the country as well.
The Dominican Republic has one of the strongest economies in Central America and is one of the major trade partners of earthquake-beleaguered Haiti. For this reason, political leaders in the country have pointed out that it is vital for local businesses to continue or expand their involvement in Haiti’s reconstruction, or the country would lose an important source of revenue. Read more
News from around our Network
