- Exports grew by 12% up to July
- Opening of the seventh edition of the HUB Cámara Santo Domingo 2026
The demand for Dominican products in international markets has now raised the monthly value of exports to an average of 1,300 million dollars per month, almost double the 700 million they represented six years ago.
Industry, Trade and MSMEs Minister Eduardo Sanz Lovatón said the Dominican business ecosystem continues to grow, as reflected in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, which rose 8% this year.
“This shows that we continue to attract foreign direct investment while increasing exports and creating more jobs,” Sanz Lovatón said at the inauguration of the seventh edition of HUB Cámara Santo Domingo 2026, an event that connects Dominican exporters with buyers and entrepreneurs from up to 30 countries.
He said export growth has coincided with shorter logistics times at Dominican ports. According to Sanz Lovatón, the average container stay has fallen from nine days to just 48 hours, and more than 200,000 containers have been cleared in under 24 hours.
Exports grow 12%
Despite a difficult international environment shaped by oil prices and trade tariffs—especially from the United States—Dominican exports continued to perform well, reaching US$9.277 billion from January to July 2026.
Santo Domingo Chamber of Commerce and Production president Lucile Houellemont said the result represents 12% growth from the US$8.2479 billion recorded in the same period last year.
She attributed the increase to the quality of Dominican products and the country’s competitiveness.
Houellemont also noted the importance of trade in the Dominican economy, saying the sector has become its largest single employer, with more than one million workers, or 20.2% of total employment.
Houellemont recalled that the country has five free trade agreements that cover about 50 countries and allow the national exportable offer to access a market of more than 800 million consumers on a preferential basis.
She said this performance helped drive the creation of the Santo Domingo Chamber HUB, which has served for 11 years as a regional business meeting platform.
Goal for 2028
In that context, ProDominicana executive director Vladimir Pimentel said exports totaled US$15.7 billion in 2025.
He said the government aims to keep strengthening the export sector, with a goal of raising exports above US$17 billion by 2028.
“We have location, connectivity, preferential market access, stability and companies that have proven they can compete internationally. Now we must turn those advantages into stronger results; it is not enough simply to showcase our export offer,” he said.
He added that doubling the economy will require more exporting companies, broader market access, higher-value products and deeper integration into global value chains.
HUB Cámara Santo Domingo 2026
Headed by President Luis Abinader, this year’s event brings together more than 150 international buyers interested in some 800 products and about 280 previously approved Dominican exporters, of which 45 belong to the service sector.
The meeting, organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Production of Santo Domingo together with the Export and Investment Center of the Dominican Republic (ProDominicana), includes more than 1,000 business meetings, a trade exhibition with more than 50 companies and an agenda of workshops and seminars aimed at inserting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the export chain.
“HUB Cámara Santo Domingo is the best example that the private sector is betting and reinvesting in this country, and we as the public sector are here to push that effort,” said Sanz Lovatón.
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