The Dominican Republic promoted in New Delhi a selection of some of its best Dominican cigars and rum, some “flagship products” that also seek to “draw attention” to attract tourism and Indian investment.
“Both are flagship products of the Dominican Republic that represent its culture and traditions. Through these products, the idea is to draw attention to the country as a tourist destination (…) but also to business and investment opportunities,” the Dominican ambassador, David Puig, told EFE.
The event promoted Barceló rum, founded in 1930, which, although it is present in India, must face its local competitor, Old Monk, which benefits from “a tradition of consumption” and a more competitive price, by avoiding high taxes, Puig explained.
“The strategy of Barceló rum -he points out- is to sell its premium products here in India and position itself in a market with high purchasing power”, in which its members have a “desire to try new things”.
Regarding cigars, the ambassador stressed that although the Dominican Republic “is the world’s leading producer”, in India 95% of the cigar market is occupied by Cubans, so a change in strategy is essential to change this situation.
“We are convinced that this is a market with very broad potential”, with a population with more and more resources and cosmopolitan, “and the cigar has become an element of distinction” both in India and in the rest of the world, he remarked. Puig.
To show the qualities of the Dominican cigar, Moisés Rodríguez, president of the tobacco company La Realeza, prepared cigars live, armed with tobacco leaves and different instruments of the sector.
“Our Dominican cigar is a very special cigar because it is made with different varieties of tobacco with a certain amount of aging, a very reliable texture for the smoker, in which the nicotine level has already become noble due to the aging of its leaves”, he emphasizes the.
According to data from the Dominican Republic, bilateral trade with India grew “constantly in recent years”, reaching 1,000 million dollars in 2020, 700 of them favorable to the Caribbean country, especially gold, “followed by ferronickel and Third, to a lesser extent, cocoa beans”.
Imports from India were mainly limited to the pharmaceutical sector.
Source: Dominican Travel Pro