Dominican Republic Relies Entirely on Imports for Wheat and Soybean Oil

Wheat and soybean oil fully supplied by imports

The Dominican Republic depended on foreign supplies for all of its apparent consumption of wheat and soybean oil during the first quarter of 2026, highlighting a sharp divide in the country’s food production capacity. Data from the National Statistics Office, known as ONE, showed an import-dependency ratio of 100% for both products, Revista Mercado reported.

The indicator measures the share of apparent consumption supplied through purchases from abroad. A high ratio does not necessarily mean that there is no domestic production; it means that local output is insufficient relative to estimated consumption. In the case of wheat, the ONE methodology indicated that imports covered the country’s entire apparent consumption between January and March.

Wheat exposure extends beyond the grain market because it is a core raw material for flour, bread, pasta, biscuits and other processed foods. Soybean oil is similarly important to households and industrial food production. International prices, freight costs, exchange-rate movements, weather in producing countries and supply-chain disruptions can therefore affect costs across several segments of the Dominican food industry.

Garlic and corn are also heavily exposed

Garlic recorded import dependence of 99.2% in January-March 2026, despite the existence of domestic cultivation. The figure illustrates the difference between producing a commodity and producing enough to satisfy national demand. Local garlic output covered only a small fraction of apparent consumption, leaving importers responsible for almost the entire balance.

Corn followed with a dependency ratio of 95.1%. Its importance reaches beyond direct human consumption because it is an input for agricultural and food-production chains. Limited domestic coverage means that changes in international corn availability or procurement costs can spread to other products and market participants.

Other major foods showed lower but still material exposure. Import dependence stood at 21.5% for rice, 23.3% for finished chicken and 23.9% for potatoes. Beans reached 40.5%, while pigs registered 74%. These markets have a larger domestic production base than wheat, soybean oil, garlic or corn, but imports remain part of national supply.

Domestic crops provide a contrasting picture

The country achieved self-sufficiency above 100% for green beans, bottle gourd, tindora, peppers, cucumber, bananas, honey, sweet potatoes and avocados during the same quarter. A ratio above 100% means national production exceeded estimated apparent consumption, creating the potential for surpluses to be directed to other markets.

The contrast makes the Dominican food system highly uneven. Domestic farms can cover consumption and generate excess supply in several fruit, vegetable and honey categories, while processors and consumers rely almost completely on foreign markets for essential grains and vegetable oil. Rice, chicken and potatoes occupy a middle position, combining substantial local production with a continuing import requirement.

For producers, processors, traders and investors, the figures show that food-security assessments cannot be based on aggregate agricultural output alone. Product-level exposure matters because disruptions in wheat, soybean oil, garlic or corn markets can affect local availability and production costs even when other crops are abundant. The ONE data also point to the importance of examining supplier concentration alongside the dependency ratio, although the reported figures do not identify individual supplying countries.