Browse Data and Analysis

FAS/San José anticipates Costa Rican orange production to rise to 305,000 metric tons in marketing year 2022/23, despite challenging growing conditions, as effective citrus greening management and increased density tree patterns drive yields higher.

In marketing year (MY) 2021/22, citrus yields decreased due to frost during the winter in the Valparaíso, Metropolitana, and O’Higgins regions. FAS Santiago estimates lemon production to decrease by 30 percent to 140,000 metric tons (MT) in MY 2021/22 and to bounce back to 200,000 metric tons in MY 2022/23, assuming normal yields.

The members of the Pacific trade bloc Alliance advanced Costa Rica’s bid for full membership, charting a course for Costa Rica to formally join Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Chile in 2023.

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

This report lists and describes certificates and other documents that must accompany food and agricultural imports to Chile as required by Chilean regulations. Three new certificates were developed since the last version of this report, one for vampire bats, one for breeding swine, and one for hedgehogs. This report outlines the certificates that need to accompany all imports of food products to Chile.

This report lists and describes certificates and other documents that must accompany food and agricultural imports to Chile as required by Chilean regulations. Three new certificates were developed since the last version of this report, one for vampire bats, one for breeding swine, and one for hedgehogs.

In marketing year (MY) 2022/23, Post estimates that avocado production will decrease by 18.2 percent from MY 2021/22, totaling 180,000 metric tons (MT) due to frost. Domestic avocado consumption will reach 105,000 MT in MY 2022/23, a five percent increase over MY 2021/22.

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 (SAG) of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Though area planted with genetically engineered crops continued to fall in 2022, expanded operations of another cottonseed producer, opportunities to increase pink pineapple exports, and a new government opposed to ‘red tape’ could reverse this trend in 2023. While neither livestock nor other animal producers in Costa Rica appear interested in animal biotechnology applications at this time, a regulatory structure exists.

In marketing year (MY) 2022/23, FAS Santiago estimates that table grape production will decrease by 7.1 percent reaching 732,000 metric tons (MT) and exports will decrease by 7.1 percent, totaling 565,000 metric tons.

In marketing year (MY) 2022, rainfall during the winter was abundant favoring pasture production in the southern regions of Los Lagos and Los Rios. As a result, Chilean production of milk powders increased significantly in recent months, and are expected to remain high during the remainder of the marketing year.

In 2021, consumer food-services sales grew by 42.5 percent, reaching $3.5 billion. In mid-2021, pandemic restrictions began to relax, and restaurants reopened to the public. The Chilean Central Bank estimates a two percent GDP growth in 2022 and a one percent GDP decrease in 2023.