The event, which was organized by the Export Quality Program, was carried out to raise awareness of the great export opportunities the exporters have, the requirements of the European market, and to disseminate the good production practices of the world leader in pineapple exports, Costa Rica. Local producers were also encouraged to take a step forward with the founding of an organization of national scope that promotes the pineapple sector at the local and international level.
The activity was attended by representatives from different associations, such as the Association of Pineapple Producers from Cevicos (APROPIC), the Association of Pineapple Producers of la Canela (APROPICA), the Association of Pineapple Producers from Villa Altagracia (ASOPROPIVA) and the Association of Pineapple Producers from Monte Plata (ASOPROPIMOPLA), as well as representatives of the Special Fund for Agricultural Development (FEDA), the Center for Agricultural and Forestry Development (CEDAF), and the Ministry of Agriculture.
The event also featured a presentation by the facilitator of the Pineapple Quality Exports Value Chain, Victor De Oleo, who shared the experiences and lessons learned from the educational tour to Costa Rica, as well as testimonies of some of the participants of the educational trip. De Oleo made several recommendations to producers including the use of crowns as planting material and the exploration of organic pineapple cultivation. He also reiterated the program’s support to all the people seeking to implement the initiatives suggested in the dissertation.
Meanwhile, the market liaison facilitator, Peggy Aviotti, spoke about the results of the European educational mission, which showed that, in the short and medium term, the Dominican Republic should export premium pineapples to Europe by air, as the country does not have enough volume to compete in the mass-consumption pineapple market led by Costa Rica.
“The varieties exported by several countries in Africa, such as the Smooth Cayenne, the Victoria or the Sugarloaf pineapple predominate in the Premium segment. The MD2, a variety produced by the Dominican Republic, is still little known in the Premium segment. However, several Latin American countries such as Mexico, Panama, Brazil, Colombia or even Costa Rica are starting to position this variety in this Premium market, which is why the Dominican Republic is facing an increasingly competitive market,” said Aviotti.
Finally, Mr. Joelin Santos, president of ASOPROPIMOPLA, reiterated that it was very important for all the actors in the pineapple sector to work together under an umbrella organism of national scope to take advantage of this great export potential, contributing to the creation of jobs and Foreign exchange, which are indispensable for the development of the country.
