The Dominican agricultural businessman Alfredo Riostreasurer of the National Board of Livestock Breeders, assured that the production of beef in the country is improving its productivity thanks to the implementation of technologiesbut it faces structural challenges which require joint work to compete abroad.
Livestock farmers managed to make room for themselves in the United States market thanks, among other things, to a reduction in their local production, however, the dominican offer It still has a long way to go before its cuts match the characteristics of other international competitors.
“The meat import market in this country is around 110 million dollars a year. But it is not regular meat, it is premium, with cuts from animals that have a genetic level and a feeding very specific. We are not there yet; We are producing commercial meat and eventually we will arrive, because a genetic investment very strong,” he said Free Diary.
Customs data shows that Dominican exports of beef to other countries, including the United States, reached 13.3 million dollars in the 20255.81% higher than the 12.6 million dollars in 2024.
Ríos maintained that the Government and businessmen must agree to design a production model adapted to Dominican conditions and use technologies to mechanize and increase efficiency.
This agreement would help reduce dispersion and find solutions to common problems. An example of this is the forage used to feed cattle, which in the country is harder and more difficult to digest due to the climatic particularities, but whose use can be improved.
“It may be a mechanizationit can be an industrialization, it can be a genetic improvementmay be an improvement in the feedingmay be an improvement in playback. In other words, there are many factors that influence producing a kilogram of meat,” he added.
He pointed out that increasing the exports It also requires a change in work culture to ensure a fixed supply, overcome limitations in transportation and invest more in research.
“We, as producers, have the biggest challenge that when you have a captive market export you must be a constant supplier and reliable of that product, because the day you stop doing it they will never buy it again,” he advised.
Potential
The Dominican Republic can become an agricultural power in the region, where many islands do not have the territory or the structure to satisfy their demand, according to Ríos. To achieve this, the industry must identify the market niches where it can have an impact and ensure a market with the capacity to pay.
Alfredo Ríos visited DL to explain the attractions that the National Agricultural Fair will have this year, which will be held between March 12 and 22 in the Livestock City. The administration of which it is a part, chaired by José Mallén, has managed to increase interest in this annual event.
Visits went from 85,000 in ten years to 165,000 in three years (from 2023 to 2025). He attributes the success to the application of business criteria, with investment in advertising, improvements in the physical structure and increase in the economic return received by participating businessmen. He claimed to have improved the level of gastronomic and cultural offering, as well as the participation of machinery, equipment and agricultural inputs.
