According to the executive president of the Dominican Agribusiness Board (JAD), Osmar Benitez, the Dominican Republic began implementing a smart strategy in the banana sector back in 1992. They started producing organic bananas, which currently account for nearly 63% of the country's banana production, and are expected to account for 80% of the production in less than two years.
Benitez said that, thanks to this transition, the banana sector wasn't affected by the product's international price variations.
"The banana from the Dominican Republic is mostly organic, so its prices are not conditioned by the changes in the conventional banana market. This is a specialized market segment and has preferential prices," stated the agricultural leader.
He said the Dominican Republic was one of the main exporters of tropical organic products in the world, and that organic bananas accounted for nearly 80% of all their organic exports.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), one of the main features of organic farming is that it does not use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, thus protecting the environment and human health.
Regarding the projections of lower coffee prices, Benitez said this wouldn't significantly affect the Dominican Republic because they really didn't export this product, as they were mainly importers of coffee.
