The Dominican Government negotiates a Free Trade Agreement to grant the access of its sugar to the United States, but this agreement is not ratified by the American Congress. The expansion of beet sugar unleashes crisis in the international sugar industry. Many Dominican sugar mills go bankrupt and disappear.

A Free Trade Agreement between the Dominican Republic and the United States enters into force, which revives the local sugar industry.

The United States Government assigns the Dominican Republic a 40% “ad valorem” tariff (Wilson tax) and the Free Trade Agreement between both nations is broken.

The United States passes the Dingley Act to protect its factories from foreign competition. Unlike Cuba, Hawaii, the Philippines and Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic must pay a tax of 1.68 cents per pound of sugar.

Puerto Rican sugar is admitted to the United States with an 85% tariff reduction.

The Reciprocity Treaty signed between the United States and Cuba becomes effective. In its second article, Cuba agrees to pay only 80% of the taxes on sugar imports established in the tariff of 1897.

In order to compensate for war expenses, the provisional government of General Horacio Vásquez establishes a tax of 10 cents per quintal on sugar exports.

President Carlos Morales Languasco increases the tax on sugar exports: 25 cents per quintal of raw sugar and 50 cents per quintal of refined sugar.

The Government of Ramón Cáceres passes an Import and Export Tariff Law that frees exports of sugar and sugarcane derivatives from taxes.

The United States authorizes the duty-free entry of sugar from the Philippines as long as it does not exceed 300,000 tons.

Exports of sugar produced in the Dominican Republic increase to 5,590,536 dollars.

In order to guarantee foreign investment in agricultural activities, the Chamber of Deputies approves a law for the partition of communal lands. Also, the Law on Agricultural Franchises, which creates a legal framework for the cultivation and processing of sugarcane.

The Dominican Government passes the Law on Inscription of Territorial Property in order to stop the issuance of false title deeds in the Eastern region, where the main sugar mills of the country are located.

Sugar from Puerto Rico is admitted to the United States with a tariff reduction of 85%.

The United States reduces by 25% (1.256 cents per pound) the tax on imports of sugar produced in Dominican territory. The international price of sugar increases considerably due to the beginning of the First World War.

A group of landowners and sugar mill owners address a public letter to President Juan Isidro Jiménez to protest the forgery of land titles in the eastern region. The country's sugar production rises to 126,058 tons.

In the name of the United States, Captain Harry S. Knapp proclaims the military occupation of the Dominican Republic while the international price of sugar continues to rise.

After the end of World War I, sugar reaches a record price on the international market: 23 cents per pound.

The military government extends the deadline for the registration of titles with the intention of bringing order to the land where sugarcane is grown.

The Dominican sugar industry produces 197,389 tons of sugar in a total extension of 47,852 hectares. The Land Registration Law is enacted to reform the previous laws on titles and rural lands.

Article 89 of the Constitution enacted this year prohibits the establishment of taxes on sugar exports.

While the international price of sugar suffers a 40% drop, the British Beet Sugar Society obtains important subsidies. In the Dominican Republic, sugar production increases to 354,720 long tons.

President Horacio Vásquez creates the National Sugar Commission (Comisión Nacional del Azúcar) so that the Dominican Republic becomes part of the countries seeking to stabilize the world sugar market.

The United States applies a new sugar tax, which rises from 2.20 to 2.50 cents per pound. Sugar from the Dominican Republic continues to receive no special treatment in the major markets.

The National Congress approves a law that establishes a tax of one tenth of a cent for each gallon of molasses produced in the country.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduces a quota system for sugar imports. However, this measure does not lighten the tariff burden on sugar-producing countries.

The Dominican government amends Law 4403 to establish a differentiated treatment between locally produced sugar and imported sugar. This law also defines tax categories for the different types of sugar (refined and raw).

Representatives of 22 countries sign the first International Agreement for the Production and Commercialization of Sugar in London, England. The Dominican Republic is one of the signatory nations.

World sugar production reaches a record of 30,209,000 metric tons. In the Dominican Republic, Trujillo's regime regains control of customs and creates new taxes on sugar and its derivatives.

Dominican sugar exports to the United Kingdom decrease notably, from 172,644.09 metric tons (previous year's harvest) to 124,107.89 metric tons.

As a consequence of World War II, sugar production reaches its lowest level in several important countries for the industry, among them Germany, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

The Dominican sugar industry pays the Dominican State an incredible amount for sugar exports: 12,273,397 dollars. With this money, the Trujillo regime finishes paying off the country's foreign debt.

Trujillo enters the sugar business by transferring the Las Pajas Sugar Mill to Villa Altagracia under the name of Catarey. On this year, the Congress enacts the Law of Industrial and Agricultural Franchises to guarantee the profitability of the dictator's sugar mills.

The Río Haina Sugar Mill, owned by Trujillo and located on the western bank of the river of the same name, begins its first harvest. The Commission for the Defense of Sugar and the Promotion of Sugarcane (Comisión para la Defensa del Azúcar y el Fomento de la Caña) replaces the Sugar Institute.

Trujillo buys the Monte Llano Sugar Mill in Puerto Plata from Compañía Bergantín, C. x A. The regime signs important agreements to export sugar to Canada and Great Britain.

To guarantee the profitability of its sugar mills, Trujillo issues a decree dissolving the Dominican Sugar Producers Association. The country is one of the cosigners of the new International Sugar Agreement signed in London, England.

A Dominican Government law grants powers to the President to establish the dates of the sugar harvest, the tonnage of sugarcane to be cut, and the tonnage of sugar to be produced by each mill.

Trujillo directs another hard blow to sugar mill owners with the enactment of a law that orders the exclusive sale of honey to the Commission for the Defense of Sugar and the Promotion of Sugarcane.

As a consequence of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, the United States cancels the importation of sugar from Cuba and assigns part of this quota to the Dominican Republic. With this decision, Dominican sugar exports set a national record: 464,000 tons (an increase of 300% with respect to the previous year).

A few months after Trujillo's execution, President Joaquín Balaguer cancels all tax exemptions granted to the sugar mills that had belonged to the dictator.

Sugar exports to the U.S. preferential market increase by 130% (863,439 short tons) after the withdrawal of the economic sanctions imposed by the Organization of American States (OAS), months before Trujillo's execution.

By means of Law 618, the Executive Power creates the Dominican Sugar Institute (Instituto Azucarero Dominicano, or INAZUCAR, for its Spanish acronym) with the purpose of advising the President on the regulations of the national sugar policy.

The State Sugar Council (Consejo Estatal del Azúcar, or CEA, for its acronym in Spanish) is constituted by Law No. 7, to replace the Dominican Republic Sugar Corporation, which had been created by Trujillo in the 1950s.

The Executive Branch enacts Law No. 491 on the Colonato Azucarero, which establishes, among other matters, a system of prices between colonists and sugar mills and measures to regulate their commercial relationship.

By means of Law No. 80, President Joaquín Balaguer makes the Price Stabilization Institute (Instituto de Estabilización de Precios, or INESPRE for its Spanish acronym), the exclusive distributor of sugar for domestic consumption.

Sugar production reached a new local record: 1,286,946 tons. In addition, in the harvest that began this year, the colonists contributed 3,972,692 tons of sugarcane to the sugar mills of the State Sugar Council (47% of the milling).

The Dominican Republic exports 1,116,585 tons of sugar as a result of an increase in international prices and the quotas established by the United States Government.

Dominican sugar exports to the world market reach 482,258 short tons, the highest volume since the fall of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo's regime.

The sugar production of the state-owned sugar mills is reduced considerably, from 554,268 metric tons to 454,463. The production of the private mills increases 13% over the previous harvest, reaching 412,409 metric tons of sugar.

The National Congress grants juridical personality to the Dominican Sugar Institute through Law 27-87.

The production of the State Sugar Council´s sugar mills continues to decrease to such an extent that it experiences a 77% drop in relation to the 1986 harvest.

President Leonel Fernández promulgates the General Law for the Reform of Public Enterprises, which authorizes the capitalization of the State Sugar Council.

Hurricane Georges destroys the sugar warehouse at the Cristóbal Colón Sugar Mill, but despite this situation, the factory produces 76,000 tons of sugar.

The last harvest carried out by the State Sugar Council produces 47,227 metric tons of sugar, which is 29% less than the projected total (163,285 tons). All of the state sugar mills are leased to private corporations.

The Cristóbal Colón Sugar Mill begins its transformation process with the entry of a new management generation and the vision of external consultants. The company directs its efforts towards social, environmental and economic sustainability.