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Dominica is an island republic in the West Indies that lies
in the Caribbean Sea. The island attained full independence from the British
rule in 1978, and subsequently joined the Commonwealth
of Nations.
Dominica has fertile soils that provide a good basis for
farming, the principal economic activity. Agricultural products include bananas,
citrus fruit (especially grapefruit and limes), coconuts, cocoa, cinnamon,
vanilla beans, and vegetables. Pumice is quarried and exported. Manufacturing is
limited to the processing of farm products. The main manufactures are fruit
juices, alcoholic beverages, soap, and essential oils.
Dominica
is one of the small islands used as a transit zone for drugs traveling from
South America to the United States, Canada, and Europe. Drug traffickers use
Dominica as a staging area for airdrops and small vessel smuggling. Limited
amounts of cannabis are cultivated in the mountainous areas of Dominica,
primarily for local consumption. But Marijuana is the only illicit drug produced in Dominica. All known
cultivation is done out-of-doors, but the country has not yet developed a means
of estimating the area used for illicit crop cultivation, which was recommended
by CICAD in the First Evaluation Round 1999-2000. Dominica has requested
expertise in estimating the sizes of fields. The country has been promoting
traditional agriculture and fishing as alternatives to marijuana production and
CICAD is supporting Dominica with the implementation of the project: Organic
Banana Production and Integrated Pest Management that Attack the Banana.
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