ODAC highlights accreditation as support for exports and access to international markets

Reducing trade barriers, decreasing logistics costs, and facilitating access for Dominican products to international markets are some of the benefits that accreditation brings to national economic development, stated the executive director of the Dominican Accreditation Body (ODAC), Ángel David Taveras Difo.

During his participation in the workshop “Laboratories and Dominican System for Quality as pillars of trade facilitation”, held at the headquarters of the General Customs Directorate (DGA), the official highlighted that accreditation has become a strategic support to boost exports, strengthen competitiveness and generate confidence in the goods and services produced in the country.

“Today, markets compete on trust. Accreditation allows Dominican products to enter other countries with internationally recognized technical support and without duplication of evaluations,” he said.

Taveras Difo explained that international markets demand increasingly higher levels of traceability, technical competence, and regulatory compliance, factors that make accreditation an essential component of the national quality infrastructure and trade facilitation.

In that sense, it was pointed out that having accredited laboratories and technically recognized results internationally allows for the reduction of technical barriers to trade, avoiding retesting in destination markets and decreasing costs associated with certification and validation processes. Likewise, it maintained that it strengthens the country’s export capacity and provides greater legal and technical security to commercial operations.

As an example of the economic impact of accreditation, he highlighted the recovery of Dominican beef’s access to the United States market, after more than two decades of exclusion.

He explained that this progress was possible thanks to the accreditation of the Dominican Agribusiness Laboratory, which allowed demonstrating technical competence, traceability, and compliance with international standards, also supported by satisfactory audits from USDA/FSIS. This process translated into concrete results for foreign trade: Dominican beef exports reached US$13.3 million in 2025, registering a growth of 5.81% compared to the previous year.

“Strengthening the quality infrastructure not only opens markets; it also strengthens international confidence in the Dominican Republic, improves our competitive positioning, and generates greater opportunities for the productive sectors,” he said.

The ODAC CEO also highlighted the importance of the ISO/IEC 17025 standard for testing and calibration laboratories, considered one of the main international standards for ensuring technically valid, traceable, and globally recognized results.

Likewise, it was pointed out that reducing dependence on foreign laboratories and strengthening national analytical capabilities represents a strategic advantage for sectors such as agro-export, health, construction, and manufacturing, by allowing more agile and efficient processes.

Finally, he affirmed that accreditation should be assumed as a strategic investment directly linked to economic development, trade facilitation, and national competitiveness.

The activity brought together representatives from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and SMEs (MICM), the Dominican Council for Quality (CODOCA), the Dominican Institute for Quality (INDOCAL), laboratories and actors linked to the national quality system and foreign trade.