The welcoming remarks were delivered by Ricardo de la Rocha, Director of the AMCHAMDR Provincial Committee in Santiago, who spoke about the importance of free trade zones, which have made the country a leader in various product categories in the global market, specifically in the United States.
April 20, 2016, Santiago.- Luisa Fernández and Miguel Lama were the guest speakers and guests of honor at the business luncheon of the Santiago Chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce. The luncheon, held at the Gran Almirante Hotel, welcomed prominent figures from the country's business and political sectors. The two listened to their presentations and responded to questions posed during the event.
Prior to the speakers' presentations, Ricardo de la Rocha, Director of the AMCHAMDR Provincial Committee in Santiago, addressed those present. "The Cibao, with the province of Santiago as its epicenter, is the region of the country with the greatest impact within the free trade zone sector. Currently, a total of thirty-two (32) free trade zone parks operate in the northern region, housing three hundred and four (304) companies, that is, practically half of all companies, which have a cumulative investment of 1.5 billion dollars, and employ a total of 71,487 people."
During her presentation, Luisa Fernández emphasized, as a first, that during 2015, for the sixth consecutive year, all performance indicators for the free trade zones showed growth. “In terms of employment, last year we registered a total of 161,257 people working in the sector, who in turn generated more than 300,000 indirect jobs. Total exports reached a new record, surpassing $5.6 billion, representing 581% of the country's total exports,” she added.
Fernández emphasized, "Free trade zones have made our country a leader in various product categories in the global market, and specifically in the United States. Currently, we are the world's leading exporter of cigars; the second largest supplier of electrical switches to the United States; the third largest exporter of medical products to Latin America and the fourth largest supplier to the United States; and we are the fifth largest exporter of leather footwear to that market."
At the AMCHAMRD conference luncheon, the president of Corporación Zona Franca Santiago expressed his aspiration that the free zones of the future be sustainable territories, smart mini-cities, internationally competitive, integrated with the environment, with their neighborhoods and cities, so that a flow and exchange of knowledge, best practices in production, the environment, and human resources is created between ZF companies and local companies, in short, taking advantage of the knowledge and the best experiences of local and international companies contributed by ZF companies permanently exposed to the most demanding demands of the global market.
He also stated that the Strategic Plan for the New Dominican Free Trade Zones aims to identify the successful productive and business areas of the future and prepare our people to be the best in these activities.
Corporate Communications Contact
Rosa Ramos
Director of the Santiago Provincial Office of AMCHAMDR
829-332-3240
rramos@amcham.org.do
