The issue, which was one of the major items up for mention at the 12th Meeting of Caricom’s Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR), has been referred to a technical team for further consideration.

According to Jamaica’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Kenneth Baugh, there are a lot of issues to be addressed in the context of this relationship with the Dominican Republic, but the general spirit is yes. “It is one of welcoming the Dominican Republic,” he said.

“That relationship takes several forms,” he explained. “There is a Free Trade arrangement already in place and, secondly, Dominican Republic is part of CARIFORUM –which is Caricom plus the Dominican Republic– and we have signed an Economic Partnership Agreement with Europe and that has certain implications with the Dominican Republic in terms of trading relationship,” he added.

Anders Alm, Ikea’s director for the Canary Islands and the Dominican Republic, says that the opening of a branch of Ikea in Santo Domingo is just a sampling of what the chain has in mind for Latin America. Alm said that Ikea has 260 stores in Europe, Asia, Australia and the US, but the Santo Domingo store will be their first in Latin America.

“This is only the start. We have much more to do. Here in Santo Domingo, we will show all that we can do together,” said Alm.

Alm said that Ikea would give Latin American shoppers a taste of what the Swedish chain offers. Ikea boasts a wide range of home furnishings that are functional, well designed and at prices so low that anyone can purchase them, as reported in Listin Diario.

Ikea is best known for its affordable contemporary design. Its wacky promotions are expected to quickly gain the attention of the Dominican market. DR1 would like to take this opportunity to apologize for confusing Anders Alm with Ikea CEO Anders Dahlvig in a recent news bulletin.

Source: Dr1.com

The nation is currently reviewing proposals from companies interested in e&p possibilities in the Cibao, San Juan, Bani-San cristobal and San Pedro basins.

Melaneo Aquino, the Dominican Republic’s hydrocarbons exploration director, would not name the companies that have submitted proposals. He added that e&p opportunities are open to companies interested in the area. There will be no formal bidding round at this time, he said, nor have there been plans to schedule one.

Reports indicate that seismic surveys acquired by companies conducting exploration activities in the area can be obtained by interested companies.

“All we have now are potential areas,” Aquino told the press recently. “We have not discovered deposits.”

On Sept. 7, 2005, the Dominican Republic signed an agreement to become a member of Petrocaribe, a Caribbean oil alliance with Venezuela in which oil is supplied to Caribbean nations, based on a preferential payment.

Source: DominicanToday.com

CNC director Andres Van Der Horst proposed the initiative together with the organization Jaycees 72, coordinated by the Industrial Property Office, and the Business Competitiveness, Innovation and Development Center.

He said concerted action is required of the country’s incubators, to integrate strategic sectors to the added-value chain and make them efficient mechanisms to create jobs.

Van Der Horst said PROINDUSTRIA provides people interested in starting their own business with technical assistance and consultations to ensure their success, as part of an effort to promotes Dominican Republic’s industrial development

He noted mentioned the entity EMPRENDE, located in Santo Domingo’s Cyber Park, as the first incubator of technology-based businesses, which supports entrepreneurs by promoting their growth and consolidation.

Source: DominicanToday.com

The president of the company Conazucar, Miguel A. Santana, said though the government agreed to lease three sugar mills including the one in Boca Chica, Fernandez later asked that they be returned, when on February 27 he announced a similar project by the sugar companies Central Romana and Grupo Vicini, the country’s two largest producers.

Speaking for the group which affirms would also produce 60 million liters of ethanol and 27 megawatts of electricity annually, Santana said the facilities would provide around 3,000 jobs for the three mills’ former employees. “Mister president, please prevent the collapse of hundreds of small and medium companies which live off supplying those mills. Thousands of jobs which depend on us will be lost if we go bankrupt.”

Alex Rood, another member of the group who held the press conference, agreed that the situation had become “another can of worms,” since the impasse keeps the ambitious project form going forward and also keeps the thousands of now out-of-work sugar mill workers from getting jobs. “This is an umbrella situation, we have the money, Alfy Fanjul (of Central Romana) thought they could get the mills free and clear, but their lawyers have seen otherwise. The CEA (government sugar council) reneged on the deal, but by that time, the president had already made his pledge (to Central Romana).”

Rood, president of Bioethanol Boca Chica, one of the companies in the planned project, spoke with Dominican Today by telephone Wednesday. He added that the impasse came about with changes in the laws regarding government contracts, including those which are part of the DR-Cafta trade deal.

Reached by phone Wednesday morning, Central Romana’s Public Relations department said it wouldn’t comment for now.

Dominican Republic’s sugar output has declined annually from 805,556 tons in 1982 to as low as 170,030 in 1998, the last year data is available in the government agency’s Web site (cea.gov.do).

Source: DominicanToday.com

Ferreteria Americana, one of the leading local department stores, announces that it will turn its JF Kennedy location into Santo Domingo’s leading shopping mall, with a US$70 million investment in the next three years. President Leonel Fernandez was there for the groundbreaking ceremony.

The mall will be built on a 62,000 square meter area. It will include a supermarket, movie theaters, a food court and a shopping area spread over 43,000 square meters on two floors. It will have 1,800 underground parking spaces and will be located in the current parking area and on the site where their wood and plumbing warehouses are now located.

Next door to Americana is Ikea, the Swedish furniture megastore that is scheduled to open early next year, making the location one of the most attractive for shoppers in Santo Domingo.

Sourse: Dr1.com  Picture: DominicanToday.com

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican tobacco industry has 6,150 producers, provides 36,000 direct jobs and last year exported 650 million units, worth US$575 million, said Tobacco Institute (Intabaco) director Adalberto Rosa.

The official said the tobacco production chain generates 117,000 indirect jobs, which benefit 300,000 people.

He said tobacco producers made RD$950 million in local sales in 2007, while the annual average in the last four years was more than RD$750 million for a total income of RD$3.2 billion.

Tobacco exports averaged 550 million units in the last four years, worth US$1.7 billion, Intabaco said in its report.

Source: DominicanToday.com

Santo Domingo.– Autologica’s objective goal is to help dealers in the region through their mix of software and specialized training.

“We want to be the DMS of choice for medium-sized dealerships, a segment that has trouble accessing a quality system due to the high costs that currently prevail in the market. Autologica is a valid option as we provide a complete and comparable solution at a reasonable price,” said Ana Drovandi, Autologica’s Sales Manager.

Autologica currently provides its dealer management system globally to Toyota, Renault-Nissan, Ford, GM, BMW, John Deere, Mitsubishi, and Isuzu dealerships, among others.

The company offers a version of its DMS specifically adapted to regional needs: it manages imported vehicle inventory; handles duties, tariffs, and other importation expenses; manages multi-location inventory; among other functions.

“We already have several clients in the region and this office will help us serve them better, and also new dealers from throughout the Caribbean and Central America that we’ll be adding,” said Drovandi.

Autologica DMS is a Windows-based software solution that manages the entire dealership, and includes integrated CRM, multi-store management, real-time accounting, Excel integration, and advanced strategic tools such as real-time performance indicators. The company offers its software in English, Spanish and Chinese.

“A DMS concentrates on the specific and distinctive problems of vehicle dealerships, such as the current focus on the aftersales department due to the progressive drop in vehicle margins. Our main goal is to help managers be more efficient, lower costs, and leverage their dealer management system,” said Al McClymont, CEO of Autologica.

Source: DominicanToday.com