Mr. Osmar C. Benitez is the current Minister of Agriculture of the Dominican Republic, after being appointed in May 9, 2018. Before his appointment, Minister Benitez was the Executive President of the Agribusiness Board of the Dominican Republic (JAD), President of the Dominican Agricultural Trade Board (BOLSAGRO), President of GORBEN Investments and Advisor to President Danilo Medina in Trade Negotiations and Agricultural Issues.
Mr. Benitez was born in Jimani, Dominican Republic in 1957. Mr. Benitez is a graduate in Agronomics Engineering from ISA University in Santiago, DR. He also received his Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics from Ohio State University.
Mr. Benitez has been Ambassador of the National Commission for Commercial Negotiations for the last 29 years and has been lead negotiator or part of the negotiation teams for agricultural matters on free trade agreements with the United States (CAFTA-DR) and the European Union (EU). He also was the lead negotiator of the technical rectification agreement reached under the World Trade Organization (WTO).
