Classification
Product TypeIngredient
Product FormPowder (Flour/Meal)
Industry PositionFood Ingredient
Market
Potato flour (HS 110510) in the Dominican Republic is a small, import-supplied ingredient market based on UN Comtrade data published via the World Bank WITS portal. In 2022, recorded imports were about USD 65.43k (29,378 kg), with the Netherlands, Canada, and the United States among the listed origin partners. Market access and commercialization can be constrained by sanitary registration workflows administered by the Ministry of Public Health’s DIGEMAPS for foods and beverages. Domestic potato cultivation is present (e.g., farms in Constanza, La Vega), but there is no clear public evidence in the cited sources of large-scale local potato-flour milling for the national market.
Market RoleImport-dependent ingredient market (net importer)
Specification
Physical Attributes- Traded/declared as potato flour and meal under HS 110510 (customs classification context)
Supply Chain
Value Chain- Overseas supplier (HS 110510) → sea freight to Dominican port → customs import processing (DGA) → importer/warehouse distribution → downstream users
Temperature- Ambient, dry storage expected; humidity control is important to reduce caking risk in tropical conditions
Shelf Life- Shelf-life risk is driven more by moisture ingress and packaging integrity than by temperature abuse
Freight IntensityMedium
Transport ModeSea
Risks
Regulatory Compliance HighIf the imported potato flour is treated as a prepackaged food/food ingredient requiring a Ministry of Public Health sanitary registration (DIGEMAPS modality for 'Alimentos y Bebidas'), missing or incomplete registration steps can delay market entry and prevent commercialization.Confirm product classification and registration applicability with a local representative, then prepare the required dossier and submit via the Ministry of Public Health services platform (servicios.msp.gob.do) under the appropriate 'Alimentos y Bebidas' sanitary registration pathway.
Logistics MediumAs a small-volume, import-supplied ingredient line item, potato flour availability and pricing in the Dominican Republic can be disrupted by ocean freight volatility and shipment consolidation constraints.Use forward planning with consolidated sea freight, diversify origin options where feasible, and maintain buffer inventory in-country for critical formulations.
Plant Health MediumDomestic potato farming in areas such as Constanza is subject to phytosanitary surveillance and quarantine protocols (e.g., official investigations of suspected potato nematodes), which can create uncertainty in local raw potato supply and increase reliance on imported potato derivatives during adverse events.Monitor Ministry of Agriculture Sanidad Vegetal communications and maintain import sourcing contingency plans for potato-derived ingredients.
FAQ
What customs code is commonly used to analyze potato flour imports into the Dominican Republic in trade statistics?A commonly used code is HS 110510 (“Potato flour and meal”), as shown in UN Comtrade data accessed via the World Bank WITS portal for the Dominican Republic.
Which supplier countries appeared in the Dominican Republic’s recorded imports of potato flour and meal in 2022?In the 2022 UN Comtrade dataset published via the World Bank WITS portal for HS 110510, listed partners include the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, Italy, and China (among others).
Which Dominican authority administers sanitary registration procedures that include foods and beverages?The Ministry of Public Health identifies DIGEMAPS (Dirección General de Medicamentos, Alimentos y Productos Sanitarios) as the responsible area for sanitary registration procedures, including the 'Alimentos y Bebidas' modality, with service access via servicios.msp.gob.do.