Browse Data and Analysis

Chile is an open economy with a developed and competitive food industry. Just over half of Chilean food production lands in the domestic market, while 46 percent is exported. Food manufacturers leverage the country’s multiple trade agreements to export Chilean-manufactured processed products to the world.

On February 22, 2022, the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture's Livestock and Agricultural Service modified the testing requirement for U.S. beer shipments to Chile. Beer from the United States will no longer need to be tested upon arrival to Chile.

Chilean producers export 260 thousand metric tons of table grapes to the United States annually. The arid Atacama region accounts for around 15 percent of Chilean area planted in table grapes.

On January 12, 2022, the Chilean Senate approved the modernization of the Water Code after 11 years of debate. The Chilean Water Code is the legislation that controls distribution of the country's water resources.

Chile is the largest market in South America for U.S. consumer-oriented agricultural products. The United States is the second largest supplier of agricultural and related products to Chile, after Argentina.

This year's report does not contain significant changes from last year's report. Chile continues allowing the reproduction of seeds under strict control of the Agricultural and Livestock Service of the Ministry of Agriculture.

In marketing year (MY) 2021/22 Chile will produce 220,000 metric tons of avocado, a 57 percent increase over MY2020/21, due to favorable climatic conditions.

In MY2021/22, as production bounces back from decline caused by heavy rain during the MY2020/21 harvest, Post projects that table grape production will increase by 22 percent, totaling 805,000 metric tons. FAS Santiago expects exports to also increase by 22.9 percent, reaching 645,000MT.

Trade and production of blueberries is expanding globally as product development boosts their profile in form and function.

For the past 12 years, drought limited pasture for grazing and forced down milk production.

The Chilean HRI sector is currently recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown. In 2020, Chilean HRI sector sales were down nearly 40 percent from 2019.

This report provides an overview of Chile’s Sanitary Regulation for food Products (RSA by its name in Spanish) currently in force, as well as any other regulation with the potential of disrupting food trade.