The council members met with Ignacio Fernández, new General Director of ProChile (the Chilean Exports Promotion Bureau), to introduce the association, its work, and discuss the priorities of the country’s food exporting sector, around which it organizes joint activities with ProChile and the Ministry of Agriculture.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the sector associations that make up the Council: Chilealimentos (food processing), Wines of Chile, ChileCarne, the Chilean Exporters Association (Asoex), Faenacar (slaughterhouses), Exporlac (dairy), and Chileoliva (olive oil); as well as SalmonChile, Sonapesca (fisheries), ChilePrunes, and ChileNuts.

It should be noted that the food sector is key for the country’s economy. It is Chile’s second largest exporting sector after mining, with exports totaling 21.6 billion USD in 2022.

“We had a productive meeting with the Food Export Council, which brings together a significant number of companies. We had a candid conversation where they raised a series of concerns from the sector, with the aim of strengthening the public-private collaboration in promoting Chilean foods abroad. The sector has experienced a significant growth in recent decades,” said Ignacio Fernández.

The Food Export Council was created in 2014 and legalized in 2017 as a space to advise and support Chilean officials in the promotion and coordination of measures, plans, and programs that help strengthen Chilean food exports, while providing support in key areas for their member industries.