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Francisco Gratereaux
Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce
A CALL TO THE ARTISANS AND BUSINESS - PEOPLE OF THE SECTOR.
There is work that is more gratifying than others, and Due to this problem, the necessary steps are be-
this on is a perfect example of it. On this road we are tread- ing taken to support the national handcrafters, which will
ing, together with the Ministry of Culture via the Centro be enforced via the Bill of Protection and Foment of the
Nacional de Artesanía (CENADARTE), the Consejo Nacional Country’s Handcrafts, which is currently being discussed in
de Competitividad (CNC), Consorcio Dominicano de the National Congress of the Dominican Republic.
Competitividad Turística/ USAID, and the Fundación ADEMI,
to complete this “Catálogo de Artesanía Dominicana” in the Another factor to consider are the policies of market
belief that it is wise to ask our artisans to get to know the liberation and transparency, with their regulations on origin
Legal Framework of the Free Trade agreements which the and labeling of products, which the Ministry of Industry and
Dominican Republic has signed. They need to take advan- Commerce (MIC) together with other government depen-
tage of the niches and segments now available in the export dencies, dedicated to the protection of the consumers will
markets to these signatory countries. eventually broaden the range of influence, thus limiting the
illegal practice of selling foreign goods as Dominican.
I make this proposal, principally to the commercial sec-
tor made up of gift-Shop owners, importers, distributors, This sales tactic degrades the image of our local
and all artisans who attend international fairs, so that, they handcrafts, possibly sold under monetary duress—in the
may take advantage of the niches and segments in the gift-shops and by tour operators who offer shopping stops
market now available under these preferential agreements. during tours to places of historic and cultural interest
nationwide.
Faced with a persistent, worldwide, economic crisis,
the tourists who annually visit our country have an increas- My suggestion to the handcrafts and souvenir sellers
ingly limited budget and to learn, prior to their arrival, the is that during the process of clearing up the distortions in
origin and history of the products they can purchase as sales, and implementing measures to aid our artisans, the
souvenirs of their trip to our country. In addition to the natu- sellers and importers should begin exploring other markets
ral and cultural attractions they can enjoy during their stay. by exporting Dominican handcrafts to the countries with
which the Dominican Republic has preferential business
Our handcrafts-along with the gastronomy, music, and treaties.
dance, are the attractions which are part of this unique
experience. However, I am referring to the autochthonous These references of consumption and competitive-
artifacts in our country, created by our artisans. Because ness are vital to promoting good international business-
this strategy of importing products similar to ours, labeling es, which are available on the Ministry of Industry and
and selling them for national products…I believe will not Commerce (MIC) webpage and can be downloaded from
last for long. the “Comercio Exterior Section.”
“ Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed
shaken in the wind.” (Johannes Brahms).
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