Azua Province
Pioneered DR organic banana exports (1994); supplies ~50% of EU organic banana market; port access at Puerto Viejo enables direct shipping.
Azua Province sits in the Ocoa Bay lowlands where banana and plantain cultivation has created one of the Dominican Republic's most productive agricultural zones. Savid S.A. began shipping organic bananas to Europe from Azua in 1994, pioneering the country's organic export industry—today the DR supplies nearly 50% of the European Union's organic banana market. The province's cooperatives represent over 700 small-scale farmers who collectively cultivate thousands of hectares, transforming subsistence farming into export agriculture.
Beyond bananas, the valley floor produces vegetables, fruits, and mangos, while coffee and beans grow in the northern mountains. The port at Puerto Viejo provides direct export access, eliminating the logistics penalty that handicaps other agricultural regions. In May 2024, the government lifted the plantain export ban (Resolution 06-2024), reopening markets that Azua farmers had served before protective measures disrupted trade.
By 2026, Azua will test whether organic certification can scale across more smallholders without diluting quality premiums. If cooperative expansion maintains standards and port logistics improve, the province could capture more value-added processing. If expansion prioritizes volume over certification integrity, Azua risks commoditizing the organic premiums that made its bananas valuable.