Nelson Arroyo highlights 9.4% growth in Dominican foreign trade

The Director General of Customs reported that trade reached US$28.196 billion during the first seven months of the year, with a growth of 12.5% in exports and 8% in imports

Santo Domingo.– The General Director of Customs, Nelson Arroyo, highlighted the 9.4% growth registered by Dominican foreign trade during the first seven months of the year, reaching a trade volume of US$28.196 billion, compared to the same period of the previous year.

During his participation in the business breakfast of the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic (AIRD), Arroyo highlighted that the results demonstrate the dynamism maintained by the country’s commercial operations.

Of the total registered between January and July, imports amounted to US$18,919 million, which represents a growth of 8%, while exports reached US$9,277 million, for an increase of 12.5%.

The official maintained that the positive behavior persists even when excluding items that typically show higher levels of volatility, such as fuels and precious metals.

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“Imports and exports continue to show a favorable trend, reflecting a solid and diversified trade dynamic,” stated Arroyo.

Customs bets on artificial intelligence

During his speech, the Customs director also outlined some of the projects the institution is developing to deepen its modernization process and strengthen controls over foreign trade operations.

Among the initiatives, he cited the incorporation of artificial intelligence into the Customs risk management engine, with the purpose of moving towards a model capable of anticipating irregular behaviors through data analysis.

Arroyo explained that this technology will allow for the improvement of valuation processes, the identification of atypical patterns, the refinement of cargo profiling, and the detection of anomalies in the variables involved in determining customs tax obligations.

According to the official, the tool will allow for more precise targeting of audit efforts toward operations that present higher levels of risk.

“We will move from linear risk management to anticipated and strategic management,” he stated.

Real-time supervision from headquarters

Arroyo also reported that Customs is working to strengthen the oversight of inspections carried out using equipment installed at the country’s ports.

He explained that the goal is for the institution’s headquarters to be able to observe in real time the work performed by the operators of those machines, adding an additional layer of control to the inspection process.

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The DGA director maintained that this mechanism responds to the institutional mission of simultaneously achieving higher levels of agility and control in customs operations.

Representatives of the productive sector and national authorities were present at the AIRD business breakfast, including Julio Brache, president of the AIRD, and Alfredo Pacheco, president of the Chamber of Deputies.