Dajabon Province

Every Monday and Friday, over a thousand Haitian traders cross into Dajabón without visas to buy and sell at the largest binational market in the Americas. The weekly exchange exceeds RD$400 million, and through September 2025, the Dajabón crossing facilitated exports exceeding $293 million—a 22% increase over 2024. Cotton fabrics, t-shirts, and cement flow south; Haitian traders carry rice, oil, and agricultural products north. Haiti is the Dominican Republic's second-largest export destination despite its political collapse.

Beyond the border market, Dajabón's economy resembles other frontier provinces: coffee and beans in the mountains, rice and bananas in the northern plains, cattle in the savannas. The province qualifies for 30-year tax incentives under Law 28-01, designed to stimulate development where proximity to Haiti's crisis suppresses investment. President Abinader has reinforced military presence at the border while maintaining the market that sustains the local economy. A new 'Dajabón Vívelo' ecotourism initiative attempts to diversify beyond border trade.

By 2026, Dajabón's trajectory depends on Haiti's stabilization. If the neighboring country finds political equilibrium, the border could become a two-way economic corridor rather than a crisis buffer. If Haitian instability intensifies, the province that lives on trade with Haiti may find its economic lifeline severed by the same instability that makes Haiti dependent on Dominican goods.