A young determined business, an objective to reach and an exceptional challenge - that of growing organic green asparagus in the Dominican Republic. The first two hectares will be ready to harvest in November-December 2017 (when there is no asparagus in Europe, which imports it from Peru and Chile) and others will follow throughout 2018. The objective for this first phase is to reach 8 hectares in total, adding 2 every 6 months. Demand seems to be good on a domestic level and, until now, produce has had to be imported from other Latin American countries.
Before it officially started, the project developed by Ci.Cos (a company established by Italians in the Dominican Republic) was tested for a long time with the support of international technicians.
"The crop is located in the South-East of the island not far from tourist destinations such as Santo Domingo, Juan Dolio, Punta Cana, Bavaro, Bayahibe and La Romana. Of course it is quite the challenge, as asparagus is not easy to grow, especially in areas with no experience of it," explains agronomist Alberto Giorgio Cipolla.
This is in fact the biggest surprise: "When we first submitted the application to import the seed, the Ministry for Agriculture told us it couldn't authorise it because, as it was the first ever application for importing this seed, the Department of Plant Health had to create a specific procedure. We had to wait a few months but we managed it in the end."
In the future, we are looking to consider exports as well, as we can harvest the produce 12 months a year in this area. Our objective is to supply those countries where there is a prolonged break in production due to climate conditions, such as the US and Europe.
In addition to local legal and health certifications, the company is also looking to obtain the organic certification from the international organisations found on the island.
For further information:
Ci.Cos. EIRL
La Romana - Repubblica Dominicana
Tel.: +1 809 205 3904 / +1 809 484 6502
Contacts in Italy
Tel: +39 338 4724681 / +39 389 9917496
Email: cicoseirl2016@gmail.com