Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agriculture

On a visit to the Dominican Republic, IICA Director General highlighted the country’s tremendous progress in agricultural productivity and food security

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.
IICA Director General, Manuel Otero; Minister of Agriculture of the Dominican Republic, Limber Cruz; and former President of the Republic and former Minister of Agriculture, Hipólito Mejía.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 9 July 2025 (IICA) – The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, spoke of the Dominican Republic’s tremendous strides in enhancing technification and productivity in the agriculture sector and its positive effects on food and nutritional security and the country’s exports.
 
At the start of an official visit to the country, the IICA Director General met separately in Santo Domingo with Minister of Agriculture, Limber Cruz, and Deputy Minister of Multilateral Foreign Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rubén Silié, with whom he discussed IICA’s main technical cooperation areas in the Dominican Republic, most notably joint work to combat and eradicate African Swine Fever (ASF) and other biosecurity issues, and contributions in various areas towards innovation, digitalization and the resilience of the local agriculture sector.
 
Otero noted that, “The Dominican Republic is making impressive, rapid, measurable and sustainable strides in agricultural productivity. Today, the country feeds three times its population, if you factor in tourism and the surplus production that it exports to neighboring countries. It has also incorporated agriculture into its development strategies”.
 
Furthermore, he pointed out “the outstanding production transformations, such as the enormous expansion of greenhouses and fruit production that have boosted the income of farmers, facilitated economic expansion and contributed to healthier diets for Dominicans and visitors to the country”.
 
Minister Limber Cruz welcomed the IICA Director General along with much of his work team—Deputy Ministers Rafael Ortiz (Scientific and Technological Affairs), Darío Vargas (Extension Services and Agricultural Training) and Eulalio Ramírez (Agricultural Production and Marketing), along with Senior Advisor, Jesús de los Santos. Also in attendance was Hipólito Mejía, former President of the Republic (2000-2004) and former Minister of Agriculture.
 
Minister Cruz expounded on the Dominican agriculture sector’s increased productivity and exports, with an emphasis on avocado, mango and other fruits, tomato, flowers and eggs. Added to that are traditional crops such as coffee, cocoa, sugar and tobacco. He also discussed the situation regarding the supply and creation of surplus in foods such as chicken, plantain and rice.

IICA Director General, Manuel Otero, meets with the Institute’s technical and administrative team in the Dominican Republic. 

The Dominican Republic’s agriculture sector experienced a 17% interannual increase in 2024 and greenhouse production doubled, covering an area of 10 million square meters. On the other hand, the sector’s growth rate continued to far outpace the average of the overall economy.
 
The minister also pointed out the growing connection between national science, technology and innovation systems, on the one hand, and agricultural production and institutional structures in the country; and spoke in detail about challenges in health, safety and biosecurity.
 
Moreover, he emphasized IICA’s role in providing assistance and guidance to support the country’s objectives to modernize and strengthen agricultural institutions; to drive agricultural exports and international agricultural trade; to bolster the National Agricultural Health Systems and the modernization of rural infrastructure; and to ensure efficient soil and water management.
 
During the meeting with Deputy Minister Silié, Otero touched on IICA’s cooperation in the capacity development of diplomats, particularly in trade and agriculture, among other issues, and offered support for the next Summit of the Americas in the areas of youth and food security. He also pledged to incorporate the issues of the Summit into IICA’s institutional calendar.
 
Director General Otero also met with IICA’s technical and administrative team in the Dominican Republic.
 
Accompanied by his Chief of Staff, Marco Vinicio Zapata; the IICA Representative in the Dominican Republic, Gabriela Quiroga; and Special Advisor, Clara Solís, Otero will remain in Santo Domingo until Thursday, when he will close off his mission in the country with a meeting with President Luis Abinader.

Special Advisor Clara Solís; Deputy Minister of Multilateral Foreign Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rubén Silié; IICA Director General, Manuel Otero; and the Institute’s Representative in the country, Gabriela Quiroga.

More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int

Share

Related news​

San José

October 28, 2025

During a visit to El Salvador, IICA’s Director General visited spaces dedicated to agricultural innovation and sustainability, and was honored for his contributions to food security at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Director General’s presence reflected IICA’s commitment to continue supporting El Salvador’s efforts to make its agriculture sector more resilient, innovative and sustainable every day, thereby contributing to the wellbeing of rural families and the country’s economic development.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

En el diálogo el Director General del IICA, Manuel Otero, instó a las personas jóvenes a ser agentes de cambio, jerarquizar la agricultura y fortalecer la autoestima del sector agropecuario, por su rol clave para el desarrollo sostenible de los países de la región.

San José, Costa Rica

October 24, 2025

Youth are key to driving the transformation of agriculture across the hemisphere, says IICA Director General at a meeting with participants of the AgriTalent Program of the Americas

Manuel Otero emphasized the need to promote a new narrative for regional agriculture—one that elevates its standing and recognizes its contribution to the food security of the countries.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

El Presidente chileno, Gabriel Boric, durante la X Semana de la Energía que transcurrió en Santiago.

Santiago

October 23, 2025

IICA and the CPBIO highlight the strategic role of agriculture and biofuels at the Tenth Energy Week in Chile

Organized by the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), the participants in the event included His Excellency the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric. The discussions focused on the technical, economic and regulatory challenges involved in accelerating the decarbonization of transportation in the Americas, especially in the aviation sector.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins