In a recent press release, the Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA) expressed its gratitude for the the opening of the Dominican Republic market for pork produced in Brazil, which was announced by minister of agriculture Carlos Fávaro.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, three Brazilian plants from the states of Acre, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul were immediately authorized to ship products to the Dominican market. It is expected that new establishments from Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and also from Paraná will be enabled after the completion of pending procedures.

"The Dominican Republic is a market with high demand, which has faced severe challenges with the registration of African Swine Fever in its territory, which has reduced local production in recent years. In this sense, thanks to the work carried out by the Ministries of Agriculture and Foreign Affairs, we have positioned Brazil as a partner for the food security of the Dominican population. We hope to see the effects of this partnership soon, with shipments of Brazilian products to this market," said ABPA president Ricardo Santin.

The Dominican Republic is one of the most relevant pork import markets in the Americas.Annually, the country produces 45,000 tons of pork, but consumes 165,000 tons, according to 2022 data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In 2022, the Dominican Republic imported 120,000 tons of the product, and the projection for 2023 points to international purchases of up to 130,000 tons, according to USDA projections. About 85% of this volume comes from the United States, being completed by the United Kingdom and Canada.

"The Caribbean country is an important tourist hub in the region in which it is located and Brazil has been exporting chicken for many years to the Dominican Republic, which can facilitate the rapid completion of business. It is the fifth market opened or expanded only this year for pork protein, which increasingly reinforces Brazil's prominent position in the supply of pork at a global level, with Brazil already being approximately 12% of all pork marketed internationally in the world," said ABPA market director Luís Rua.