The Dominican Republic produces vegetables under protected environment throughout the country, due to an impressive agribusiness park growth of more than 1.912 percent.
This greenhouse infrastructure growth has enabled the country to increase production significantly, and improve foreign exchange earnings thanks to vegetable exports. In 2004 the country had 26.9 hectares of greenhouses now it has increased by 504.2 hectares.
This has been proportional to the extraordinary growth that has occurred in the production of vegetables in greenhouses, obtaining more than 4.6 million pounds in 2004.
89,374,248 pounds in 2011, with an increase of 85,368,048 pounds.
While in 2004 3,303,960 pounds were exported, in 2011 the volume reached 64,253,386, an increase of 60,949,426 pounds.
The amount of vegetables produced under controlled environments in 2004 had a foreign exchange income of just USD 1,318,873, while in 2011 profits reached USD 58,519,624, for a foreign currency increase of USD 57,200,751. In 2004 sales of vegetables produced in greenhouses were about 702,000,240 pounds, which generated 8.5 million pesos.
However, production in 2011 was of 25,120,862 pounds, for an increase of 24,418,622 pounds, with revenues of more than 539 million pesos. The increase was of 531 million pesos. This significant increase in vegetable production in a protected environment has been possible by the support of the government of President Leonel Fernandez, through the Ministry of Agriculture, to producers working under that mode of production.
This new agricultural production system has allowed to ensure high productivity with safe-quality items and good profitability.
Sustained growth in this period is evident in the number of square meters of greenhouse throughout the national territory, the volume of production, exports, foreign exchange earned for the country thanks to exports and local sales, as well as the generation of employees throughout the production process.
Among the items that are grown in greenhouses include bell peppers, cubanela, spicy, table and cherry tomatoes, cucumber, melon, among others.
Exports go to markets in the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands,the UK, Germany, Italy,
France, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Australia, Belgium, and Caribbean islands.