Business opportunities in Suriname by sector (2026)

Suriname earns its money from gold and soon from offshore oil: in 2025, 89% of goods exports were precious metals. Most opportunities for local entrepreneurs, the diaspora and foreign investors are in supplying those two engines, and in sectors that are still small but growing: agro-processing, tourism, timber, fishing and solar power. For each sector you will find the figures, the opportunities, who regulates it, the risks and where to start.

On this page (19)

• Where the money comes from today
• Oil and gas
• Gold and mining
• Agriculture and agro-processing
• Fisheries and aquaculture
• Forestry and timber
• Tourism and hospitality
• Logistics and infrastructure
• Energy: a power shortage, an opening for solar
• ICT, BPO and digital services
• Construction and real estate
• Manufacturing and import substitution
• Carbon credits and the green economy
• Which products have export potential?
• Step by step: from idea to sector
• Checklist for any sector
• What if...
• Sources
• Frequently asked questions

Where the money comes from today

Export figures from the statistics bureau (ABS) show how narrow the base is. Growth was 1.5% in 2025 according to the IMF and is expected at 3.9% in 2026, held back mainly by lower gold output. From 2028 oil will lift growth. More on the macro economy: Economy in figures.

Product group	Exports 2025	Share
Precious metals (mainly gold)	USD 2,989m	89.1%
Mineral products (incl. crude oil)	USD 60.4m	1.8%
Wood and wood products	USD 54.9m	1.6%
Live animals and animal products (incl. fish and shrimp)	USD 47.0m	1.4%
Vegetable products (incl. rice and bananas)	USD 28.0m	0.8%
Foodstuffs and beverages	USD 16.6m	0.5%
Total (incl. re-exports)	USD 3,354m	100%

Provisional ABS figures (Basic Indicators 2026-I). The Central Bank records lower gold exports (USD 2.47 billion) because it counts gold only and uses a different method. Of total exports, USD 131 million went to CARICOM countries.

Oil and gas

Staatsolie produced 6.35 million barrels of crude onshore in 2025, around 17,400 barrels a day on average. Offshore there are 18 production sharing contracts, together covering about half the offshore area. GranMorgu in Block 58 is due to deliver first oil in 2028; in Block 52 the Sloanea gas field was declared commercial in 2025. The real change for businesses: oil companies and their subcontractors spent about USD 260 million on local goods and services in 2025, against USD 30 million in 2024.

• Opportunities. Logistics and shore bases, crew transport, catering, cleaning, security, welding and fabrication, maintenance, HSE training, housing, IT and translation.
• Who regulates. Staatsolie (through Staatsolie Hydrocarbon Institute, which manages the contracts) and the Ministry of Oil, Gas and Environment. Operators buy through their own registration systems.
• Risks. High demands on safety, certification and insurance; a peak during construction that partly falls away after 2028; competition from Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. There is no local content law yet.
• Start here. Become an oil and gas supplier (registration, BlueWave programme, EOIs) and Oil and gas: GranMorgu. Open contracts: Tenders.

Gold and mining

In 2025, 21,688 kg of gold was produced, 22% less than in 2024. Thanks to the high gold price (an average of USD 3,431 per troy ounce) export value still rose 21% to USD 2.47 billion. Small-scale output fell 46%; the Central Bank suspects smuggling plays a part. The large mines are Newmont's Merian (since 2016, Staatsolie holds 25%) and Rosebel, owned by China's Zijin since 2023. Bauxite was the backbone of the economy for decades, but Alcoa stopped its Paranam refinery in 2015 and in early 2017 announced the final closure of Suralco and its bauxite mines.

• Opportunities. Services to the large mines (transport, maintenance, catering, laboratories), rehabilitation and replanting of mined areas, mercury-free processing for small-scale mining, and gold trading and export with the right licences.
• Who regulates. The Ministry of Natural Resources grants mining rights under the Mining Decree (E-58), with the Geological Mining Service (GMD) as the implementing agency. A revised Mining Act was validated in December 2023 but had not been passed at our last check. Gold exports run through the Central Bank and the export rules.
• Risks. Illegal mining, mercury pollution (Suriname joined the Minamata Convention in 2018), land rights of indigenous and tribal communities, and a gold price that can also fall sharply.
• Start here. Exporting from Suriname (gold exports and the 35% rule) and Gold and oil price.

Agriculture and agro-processing

According to the US commercial guide (2024), only about 120,000 of roughly 1.5 million hectares of suitable farmland are in use. Rice is the largest crop: 290,665 tonnes of wet paddy in 2024 on 58,133 hectares, over 95% of it in Nickerie, and 45,404 tonnes of rice exports worth about USD 27 million (NOB sector study, 2025). FAI, the only banana plantation, exports around 15 containers a week to Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Guyana. Fresh vegetable exports to Europe have collapsed since the EU barred sopropo (bitter melon) in 2019; that product made up as much as 35% of the volume.

• Opportunities. Processing (cassava flour and chips, fruit pulp, coconut water and oil, honey, cocoa), animal feed from local soy and maize, cold stores and packaging, mechanisation services, and sales into CARICOM, where Surinamese products often enter duty-free.
• Who regulates. The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries (LVV) for registrations, plant health and veterinary matters; Land and Forest Management for state land; food safety sits with the Public Health Bureau (BOG) and the National Food Safety Institute (NIVS), created by law in 2021.
• Risks. Pests and pesticide residues (the EU market is closed for some products), drought and flooding, labour shortages, expensive air freight (around EUR 2.50 a kilo to Europe) and avian influenza in poultry since September 2026.
• Start here. Starting an agribusiness, Buying land and property, EU rules for Surinamese suppliers and Trade agreements and market access.

Fisheries and aquaculture

Fish and shrimp (including seabob) fall in the animal products export group, worth USD 47 million in 2025. In 2021 fish and shrimp exports were USD 30.1 million. In 2025 the US closed its market to fish from the Surinamese driftnet fishery because rules on marine mammal bycatch fell short. In June 2026 Suriname received a positive finding from the US fisheries service NMFS, valid until 31 December 2029.

• Opportunities. Higher-value processing (fillets, smoked, frozen portions), ice and cold storage at landing sites, and aquaculture. The US commercial guide names fresh fish and aquaculture as opportunities.
• Who regulates. LVV's Fisheries Directorate for licences and catch certificates; only companies approved by the Fish Inspection Institute (VKI) may export fish.
• Risks. Market access depends on compliance: the US and EU can close the door again. Also illegal fishing, the cold chain and high fuel costs.
• Start here. Exporting from Suriname (VKI and catch certificate) and EU rules for Surinamese suppliers.

Forestry and timber

Timber exports were USD 54.9 million in 2025 (ABS). Recent production figures are hard to find; according to the Timber Trade Portal, 1,084,000 m³ of roundwood was harvested in 2018 and 96% of export volume was unprocessed logs, mainly to Asia. There are about 4.5 million hectares of production forest. According to the same source, sawmills used only half their capacity, and drying capacity was below 6,000 m³ a year.

• Opportunities. Further processing (kiln-dried sawn timber, flooring, decking, furniture), drying kilns, certified timber for Europe and non-timber forest products.
• Who regulates. The Ministry of Land and Forest Management grants concessions and permits; the forestry authority SBB controls production and inspects exports. Round logs carry export duty, lower the more the wood is processed.
• Risks. Transport from the interior, illegal logging, land rights and changing export duties. European buyers ask for proof of legal origin.
• Start here. Exporting from Suriname (SBB inspection and export duty) and Buying land and property.

Tourism and hospitality

In 2025, 381,667 incoming passenger movements were registered. These are not unique tourists: 60.9% stayed with family or in their own home, 26.1% in a hotel and 10.2% in an apartment or Airbnb. The government wants to welcome half a million visitors again within three years and raise tourism's share of GDP from about 6.8% to 10% (August 2025). The Suriname Tourism Authority is being set up. According to the organisers of the April 2026 building fair, the oil sector is also raising demand for accommodation.

• Opportunities. Mid-range accommodation in Paramaribo, eco-lodges and day tours in the interior, transport, food and culture tours, and business stays around the oil industry.
• Who regulates. The Ministry of Transport, Communication and Tourism and the Suriname Tourism Authority; business licences through the Ministry of Economic Affairs (EZOTI) or the district commissioner.
• Risks. Seasonality, limited flight connections, access to the interior, power and water, and the land rights of communities in the interior.
• Start here. Business licences, Buying land and property and Business financing (the NOB's Production Credit Fund is open to tourism). By district: Business by district.

Logistics and infrastructure

Suriname sits between Guyana and French Guiana, with the container port in Paramaribo as its gateway (details in Exporting from Suriname). The East-West road between Meerzorg and Albina (140 km) was rehabilitated with IDB money and links Paramaribo to the French Guiana border. Traffic to Guyana crosses the Corantijn (Corentyne) by ferry. Both countries agree on a bridge, but the old memorandum expired in November 2025; Suriname now wants to finance construction itself and the two countries still have to agree on management, customs and border control (September 2026). There is no through road to Brazil.

• Opportunities. Warehousing and cold storage, trucking, freight forwarding and customs brokerage, shore base services for offshore, air cargo for perishables, and subcontracting on road and port projects.
• Who regulates. The Ministry of Public Works and Spatial Planning (roads), Transport, Communication and Tourism, the Maritime Authority Suriname (MAS) and the port authority Havenbeheer.
• Risks. Large projects often run years late and depend on financing; government payments can be slow.
• Start here. Importing goods, Tenders and Trade agreements and market access.

Energy: a power shortage, an opening for solar

In September 2026 peak demand on the EPAR grid (Paramaribo, Wanica, Para, Commewijne and towards Saramacca) was about 280 MW, against some 254 MW of available capacity, and 10% higher than in 2025. There is virtually no reserve, so EBS cuts areas in rotation (load shedding). The Energy Authority Suriname (EAS) puts the structural shortfall at 60 to 80 MW; the last expansion was around 2020. According to the Minister of Natural Resources about USD 500 million is needed. In 2025 Staatsolie supplied 69% of EPAR power from the Afobaka dam (189 MW) and a thermal plant (96 MW). Installed solar capacity was 16 MW at the end of 2025.

What the law allows

• Generating your own power for own use is allowed, from renewable sources (Electricity Act 2016). You net your yearly production against your consumption through a two-way EBS meter. If you deliver more than you use in a year, the surplus is not paid for. EBS connects self-generators up to 63 amps, through an approved installer.
• Selling power to the grid is only possible for renewable electricity, after a public tender run by EBS under EAS supervision. The winner gets a licence from the minister and EBS must sign a supply contract.
• Power from fossil fuels for the grid remains, by law, a matter for state companies.
• Detailed rules for self-generators (connection costs, tariffs) are to be set in an Energy Sector Plan; until then EBS applies its own terms.

• Opportunities. Solar panels with batteries and inverters for businesses hit by load shedding, installation and maintenance, energy efficiency, backup systems, and bidding in tenders. In September 2026 EBS sought builders for solar and battery minigrids in Indigenous and Matawai villages (an IDB project). Staatsolie plans a 25 to 30 MWp solar park in Saramacca, subject to a contract with EBS.
• Risks. No payment for surplus power, rules that are not finished and tariffs that were long below cost. Work out your payback with today's tariff and with higher tariffs.
• Start here. EBS power outages, Import cost calculator and Loan calculator.

ICT, BPO and digital services

According to SITA, exports of business services were USD 77.3 million in 2023, 42% more than in 2022. Teleperformance has been in Paramaribo since 2015 with almost 1,700 staff; Concentrix and smaller call centres are also active. Surinamese speak Dutch and often good English, which makes customer service for the Netherlands, Belgium and the US attractive. Since 2025 there are no import duties on computers and peripherals.

• Opportunities. Customer service and back office, software development, digital marketing, data entry and administration for foreign clients, and payment and fintech services.
• Who regulates. Most services need no separate licence. Telecoms fall under the Telecommunications Authority Suriname (TAS), payment services under the Central Bank. Outsourcing for a foreign customer is zero-rated for VAT.
• Risks. Power cuts (plan for backup), staff turnover, and the foreign exchange rules: proceeds from services must also be brought into Suriname.
• Start here. VAT in Suriname, Hiring staff and Exporting from Suriname (foreign exchange).

Construction and real estate

Construction prices rose 10.7% in 2025 and 7.2% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026 (ABS, May 2026). Demand for housing, offices and temporary accommodation is growing with the oil industry and tourism. In April 2026 the government announced a housing plan in which the private sector is to do the work.

• Opportunities. Rental housing and serviced apartments, office and storage space, building materials, and contracting for government projects and the oil industry.
• Who regulates. Public Works and Spatial Planning (building permits), Land and Forest Management (state land) and MI-GLIS (land registry and mortgage office).
• Risks. Unclear land titles, cost increases during construction, expensive financing and slow permits.
• Start here. Buying land and property, ROI and payback and Tenders.

Manufacturing and import substitution

Suriname imported USD 2.13 billion of goods in 2025, USD 396 million of it from CARICOM countries (ABS). Every product you make locally at a competitive price replaces an import paid for in dollars. The NOB funds this kind of production through its Production Credit Fund: up to SRD 5 million at 5% interest for import-substituting, exportable or value-adding production.

• Opportunities. Food and beverages, animal feed, packaging, building materials, cleaning products, furniture, and repair and maintenance of machinery.
• Who regulates. EZOTI (business licences), the Suriname Standards Bureau (standards), BOG and NIVS (food), and the Ministry of Oil, Gas and Environment (environment).
• Risks. A small home market, power shortages, expensive imported raw materials and duty-free competition from CARICOM imports.
• Start here. Business financing, Business licences, Break-even calculator and Price and markup.

Carbon credits and the green economy

In November 2021, at COP26, Suriname signed a declaration with Bhutan and Panama as the three carbon-negative countries: their forests absorb more CO2 than they emit. In its 2019 climate plan Suriname pledged to keep 93% of its land forested. The State wants to sell that performance as credits under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement (ITMOs). A first batch of 1.5 million tonnes (2021 vintage) was offered in August 2024, but the sale was repeatedly delayed. In November 2025 Suriname and Honduras gave Deutsche Bank and the Coalition for Rainforest Nations a mandate to sell credits, and in February 2026 the government aimed for first trades in the first quarter. We found no confirmed completed sale as of 26 October 2026.

• Opportunities for businesses. The national credits belong to the State. Opportunities are in reforestation and rehabilitation of mined land, sustainable and certified timber, ecotourism, environmental consulting and impact assessments, and ESG reporting for suppliers to oil companies.
• Who regulates. The Ministry of Oil, Gas and Environment (climate and environment, Environmental Framework Act).
• Risks. A young, uncertain market; indigenous and tribal communities demand a say over their forests; prices are not public.
• Start here. Business associations and New laws and rules.

Which products have export potential?

Lists of Suriname's "best export products" circulate, but they come from 2018 and 2019 studies and can no longer be checked. We therefore give no ranking. What is clear:

• What sells today besides gold: timber, fish and shrimp, rice, bananas and processed foods (table above).
• The nearest market is CARICOM: in 2025, USD 131 million of Surinamese exports went to CARICOM countries, against USD 24 million to the EU (ABS).
• The International Trade Centre's Export Potential Map (free, online) estimates untapped export potential per product and per country. Use it as a starting point and then test with buyers.
• For CARICOM, the Suriname Standards Bureau takes part in regional standards, including for coconut and cocoa products (2026). If you want to export in those chains, follow those standards from the start.

Step by step: from idea to sector

1. Choose by market, not by raw material. Who buys, at what price, in which currency? A contract with an oil company, mine or foreign importer is worth more than a good-looking plan.
2. Use realistic costs. Include power (and backup), transport, interest and the exchange rate. Break-even calculator · ROI and payback
3. Write a business plan. Banks and funds always ask for one. Writing a business plan
4. Talk to the regulator. The sector ministry (LVV, Natural Resources, Land and Forest Management, TCT) and, as a foreign investor, SITA.
5. Set up the basics. KKF, FIN tax number, bank account and the licences for your activity. Start a business · Business licences
6. Secure land and premises. Have titles checked before you pay. Buying land and property
7. Find financing that fits your sector. Business financing
8. Join a business association. That is where you first hear about tenders, standards and new rules. Business associations

Checklist for any sector

• I know who my first three customers are and what they will pay.
• I have worked out what a day without power costs and how I cover it.
• I know the licences, inspections and certificates for my product.
• Land or premises have been checked at MI-GLIS and any claims are known.
• My prices allow for the exchange rate and, for exports, the mandatory sale of 35% of proceeds.
• I have staff or know where to find them, and which permits foreign workers need. Work and residence permits
• I follow new laws (investment, local content, mining, land). New laws and rules

What if...

• ...I want to invest from abroad? Read Investing in Suriname for legal forms, taxes, treaties and money transfers.
• ...I run a small business and cannot become an oil supplier? Look at subcontracting: large contractors look for local partners for transport, catering, cleaning and maintenance. See Become an oil and gas supplier.
• ...my sector is not listed here? Healthcare and education also face shortages of staff and facilities. Check vacancies to see where demand is: Jobs.
• ...I am looking for partners or competitors? Search the Business directory or the Business resources.

Sources

• ABS: Basis Indicatoren 2026-I (exports and imports 2025)
• Central Bank of Suriname: gold analysis Q4 2025 (March 2026)
• IMF: 2025 Article IV (February 2026)
• Staatsolie: Annual Report 2025
• trade.gov: Suriname mining and minerals (2024)
• trade.gov: Suriname agricultural sectors (2024)
• Powder & Bulk Solids: Alcoa closes Suralco (January 2017)
• Keynews: revised Mining Act validated (December 2023)
• NOB: rice value chain cost model (May 2025)
• FreshPlaza: FAI banana exports (October 2025)
• HortiDaily: fruit and vegetable exports to Europe (November 2025)
• Keynews: fish exports to the US allowed again (June 2026)
• Timber Trade Portal: Suriname timber sector
• Suriname Herald: 381,667 arrivals in 2025 (October 2026)
• Suriname Herald: target of half a million visitors (August 2025)
• Suriname Herald: building fair and housing plan (April 2026)
• ABS: construction price index (May 2026)
• De West: Corantijn bridge (30 September 2026)
• IDB: Meerzorg-Albina corridor
• Keynews: USD 500 million needed against load shedding (September 2026)
• Keynews: EAS: shortfall up to 80 MW (August 2026)
• Elektriciteitswet 2016 (S.B. 2016 no. 42)
• EBS: self-generation and feed-in
• pv magazine: EBS minigrid tender (September 2026)
• SITA: Business Process Outsourcing
• NOB: Productie Krediet Fonds
• Government of Panama: coalition of carbon-negative countries (COP26, 2021)
• IISD: Suriname climate plan (NDC)
• PR Newswire: offering of Surinamese ITMOs (August 2024)
• Deutsche Bank: Honduras and Suriname mandate (November 2025)
• Carbon Pulse: first ITMO trades planned (February 2026)
• CROSQ: regional standards for comment (coconut, cocoa)
• ITC: Export Potential Map

Checked on 26 October 2026. General information, not investment or legal advice.