Sales of meat and derivatives grew 19.6% in 2021

In 2012, 96.3% was exported to Haiti, while in 2021 it is mainly to five markets: Haiti 39.7%, Guatemala (34.9%), El Salvador (8.7%), the US and China 5% each.

Sales of meat and meat products grew 19.6% in 2021, going from RD$44,072 million in 2020 to RD$52,750.0 million last year, that is, RD$8,680 million more. These figures have registered an average annual growth of 11.6% in the period 2010-2021. In this period, sales went from RD$15,922.6 million to RD$52,750.0 million.

During 2021, the activities that contributed the most to the sales of the meat industry were the production of cold cuts and sausages (19.3%), the processing of fresh refrigerated or frozen meat in pieces (14.0%).

The sales of the meat industries increased their average participation in the total sales of the manufacturing sector from 3.8% in the period 2010-2015 to 4.8% during the period 2016-2021, reaching a maximum participation of 5.0% in the year 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the study “Economic profile of the meat conservation, production and processing industry in the Dominican Republic”, from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Mipymes (MICM).

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It reveals that the internal collections of the State from the meat production, conservation, and processing industries grew by 56.4% in 2021 compared to 2020, 51.7% compared to 2019, and an average growth rate of 22.8% from 2010-2021. Collections went from RD$934.4 million in 2020 to RD$1,461.3 million in 2021.

Export figures fall but diversify

The economic growth rate experienced by the meat products industry suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic. Its highest export value was recorded in 2019, prior to the pandemic, reaching an amount of US$ 19.25 million. But in 2020 these were US$11.4 million and in 2021 exports reached a value of US$7.72 million.

However, the markets were diversified, since in 2012 almost all of it was exported to Haiti (96.3%), while in 2021 it was distributed mainly in five markets: Haiti (39.7%), Guatemala (34.9%), El Salvador ( 8.7%), China (5.2%) and the US (5.0%). Despite greater diversification, the country’s meat exports are relatively low compared to exports from the Latin American and Caribbean region (US$36,320.2 million).

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