Presenting the progress of the National Trade Facilitation Committee (CNFC) and learning about the Cold Chain improvement project in the Santo Domingo conglomerate were the main topics of the most recent meeting of the Trade Facilitation Committee members.

The virtual session was chaired by Alexander Schad, president of the Trade Facilitation Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR), and was attended by William Malamud, executive vice president of the institution, among other committee members.

The meeting established that the country has notified the WTO of 76 percent compliance with the measures (as of December 2019) and that we currently have 89 percent progress in compliance with the 238 measures contemplated in the Trade Facilitation Agreement, promoted in 2013 by the World Trade Organization (WTO). It was also emphasized that many of the measures taken by the government and the private sector in response to COVID-19 are positively impacting progress in compliance with this trade facilitation agreement. This information was provided by Perla de la Rosa, coordinator of the AMCHAMDR Trade Facilitation Committee.

Since 2018, the American Chamber of Commerce has assumed the secretariat of the National Trade Facilitation Committee (CNFC), an organization created by Presidential Decree 431-17, which has promoted initiatives to position the Dominican Republic as a logistics hub.

The virtual session also featured a pilot project on Cold Chain Improvements in the Santo Domingo Conglomerate, presented by Viktor Rodríguez Silva, director of the Office of Agricultural Trade Agreements (OTCA).

During his speech, Rodríguez discussed proposed improvements to the Perishables Manual, inspection protocols and procedures, and the process for dispatching perishable goods in the Santo Domingo conglomerate.

He said the project seeks to strengthen the perishables manual through real-life case studies and will be based on three value chains of prioritized products in the port of Haina and the Punta Cana airport.

Although he acknowledged that cold chain traceability can be difficult, Rodríguez believes that gathering these insights can provide valuable information to the CNFC for designing strategies that impact an optimal distribution process.

Additionally, work plans were discussed to relaunch the National Logistics Observatory, which will serve as a platform for statistics and trends with updated data, adding value to the sector. The initiative is led by Crystian Peralta, Vice President of the Trade Facilitation Committee.