U.S. pork exports to Dominican Republic soar to record level

Previously a destination for raw material used for further processing, the market now imports a diverse range of U.S. pork cuts and products The United States has long been the dominant supplier of U.S. soy-fed pork to the Dominican Republic (DR), competing primarily with domestically raised pork. Exports have increased steadily since the DR implemented the Central America-DR-U.S. Free Trade Agreement in 2007, putting U.S. pork on course to enter the market at zero duty. In 2006, the last year in which U.S. pork was subject to the DR’s 25% most-favored-nation tariff rate, U.S. exports were just over 4,000 metric tons, valued at $6.6 million. By 2010, exports more than quadrupled in volume and reached $38 million in value and in 2020, shipments reached nearly 40,000 mt valued at more than $90 million. U.S. exports to the DR were record-shattering in 2022, coming in at 85,550 mt (up 46% from 2021), with value reaching $ 233.6 million (up 55%), according to USDA data compiled by ...